The Critical Crew
by ElealehBlue
Summary: Book 3 in my 'The Trio Troubles' series. Can be read on its own, but you'll probably be confused. After Vlad and the G.I.W. are shut down, a group of Investigative journalists comes to Amity Park. Between dealing with them and searching for the other teen who was hit by the G.I.W.'s untested ray, will Team Phantom be able to keep their secret a secret? (Reveal fic, T to be safe.)
1. Table Of Contents

**Table Of Contents**

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Once again, putting this table of contents here, (1) because I like it, (2) because I needed somewhere to put the word-formatting where it's easily locatable, and (3) because you're not supposed to make a chapter that's nothing but author's note.**

 **So, just to get this out of the way, rated T, for the same reasons as last time. Violence, mentions of abuse and torture, and whatever else I come up with. *Entire world shudders back from my imagination.* There won't be any of that stuff actually happening, in this one. But, it'll be talked about, since this is big news for Amity Park. There'll also be talk of bullying. (Because Dash and Paulina are in this fic.) Oh, and fluff. There will be fluff.**

 **So, as far as all that goes, you have been warned. But, as I've said before, I doubt I'll ever write anything graphic, because I'm too squeamish for that. :)**

 **Okay, something else I need to get out of the way:**

 **I do not own** ** _Danny Phantom_** **. If I did,** ** _Phantom Planet_** **either wouldn't have happened, it would've turned out to be a dream, or it would've spanned (at least) one season, as I suspect it was originally intended to. :)**

 **This is the third book in my 'The Trio Troubles' series, the first book being 'The Halfa Hiccups', and the second being 'The Core Cold' (aka 'Quite Possibly, The Longest Thing I've Ever Written'). This fic starts the day after the last chapter of 'The Core Cold', so everything that was happening then is, pretty-much, still happening, now.**

 ** **Once again, I will update the TOC as I add chapters.****

* * *

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Chapter 2: The Nerd Option

Chapter 3: The Silence Of The Cam(era)s

Chapter 4: The Fenton File

Chapter 5: In The Heat Of The Fight

Chapter 6: The Playful Spies

Chapter 7: Body Of Spies

Chapter 8: Spy Games

Chapter 9: Mission Improbable - Ghost Protocol

Chapter 10: Shudder Island

Chapter 11: The Detector

Chapter 12: With Remorse

Chapter 13: The Man With The Ghostly Gun

Chapter 14: Nerd By Nerd-West

Chapter 15: Near The Window

Chapter 16: Mental On The Amity Express

Chapter 17: Several Angry Humans

Chapter 18: The Ministry Of What Dash Hears

Chapter 19: The Honourable Schoolboys

Chapter 20: Dial G For Ghost

Chapter 21: Anatomy Of The Murdered

Chapter 22: The Restarted

Chapter 23: Two Angry Humans

Chapter 24: Get A Clue

Chapter 25: Videos For Some Spies

Chapter 26: The Fenton Affair

Chapter 27: The Day Of The Jack

Chapter 28: The Geek Swat

Chapter 29: On Her Majesty's Not-So-Secret Service

* * *

Narration

"Talking"

 _Talking from someone on tv or in a video_

 _||Thinking||_

 ** _||Someone else thinking||_**

~Singing/Singsonging~

 _ **Texting**_

 ***Sound***

A line-break almost always means a change of POV.

* * *

 **Cover was made by me, using GIMP and a base by Elevera. Check their DeviantArt out, it's awesome! :))**

 **So... Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about how Danny's eyes are way too big, Johnny's eyebrows are weird, Dash is too short, Jazz's hair-color is so similar to Mikey's that she just kinda disappears behind him and Wulf, Kwan's nose is too far up, Shadow looks bored, Paulina's face is bulging in an odd place, Sam looks like a dude, Wulf looks dead, Skulker's big head is making him way too chibi-adorable to look like himself, Ember's ponytail looks like a big feather, Val looks like she's wearing a diaper under her suit, Mikey's grin makes him look like a Slender Man proxy, and I put way too much work into Star's outfit to just cover it up with Youngblood's hat...**

 **But, I'm pretty happy with how Boxy, Lester, Clark, Tucker, Ellie, and Youngblood turned out :)**

 **...Also, I do not own Slender Man...**

 **So, without further ado,**

 **On with the show!**


	2. 1: New Beginnings

**Chapter 1:**  
 **New Beginnings**

* * *

The three Fenton women and Sam walked into the building together, Sunday afternoon. The two older Fentons each held one of the younger's hands. Not because she needed to be watched in the parking lot. (They all knew she was safer from car wrecks than any of them were.) But, simply, because they were her family, now. And, the girl had been without a real family, for far too long. Sure, she'd had Danny for a 'cousin', but they almost never saw each other. Now, that was going to change.

"Okay, Ellie-Belle," Sam said finally, gesturing to the rainbow of preteen clothing in the brightly-colored store. The other three could hardly believe the goth girl would even set foot in the place. (There was a giant, wooden kitten with glittery, rainbow eyes hanging on the wall, for goodness' sakes.)

"Do you see anything you like, Sweetie?" Maddie asked, stooping to her youngest daughter's eye-level.

The girl looked around thoughtfully, then spotted something on the other side of the store. "Oooh!" She squeaked excitedly, taking off. Then, Jazz gasped, seeing something _she_ liked, and took off in the other direction. Their mother smiled. Her girls were going to get along, just fine.

She and Sam sat back on one of the pink and yellow, paint-spattered benches, chatting and watching, as the two sisters ran around the store, oohing and giggling.

They hid their laughter, as the Fenton daughters ran into each other, landing on their rear-ends on the pink carpet. They were alright, though. Jazz showed Ellie the little, white bear with the huge, green, glittery eyes, she'd found. At the same time, Ellie showed Jazz a pink t-shirt with a little, cartoon ghost, that said ' _Don't hate me 'cause I'm boo-tiful_ ' in cursive. They both made over each others' finds, before running off to opposite ends of the store, nearly bowling each other over, again.

Maddie chuckled to herself. No doubt, their family would be banned from this store, too, by the end of the day. (It wouldn't be the first time.) But, it was worth it to see her girls so happy.

* * *

Danny and Tucker sat in the _FentonWorks_ living room, bored out of their minds. There was absolutely nothing to do.

Sam, Jazz, Maddie, and Ellie were off doing girl stuff. Valerie was spending the day with her dad. Jack was in the basement, pretending he was working on a new invention while 'secretly' playing with Marty. They hadn't found anything about who else had been hit by the G.I.W.'s weapon in the news footage Danny had swiped. There hadn't been any violent ghost-sightings, since the library incident, Wednesday. The closest thing they'd had to excitement in the past few days was when Skulker decided he was Team Phantom's new bestie and wanted to spar. Even Box Ghost was back to his normal, boring self, now that there was no cardboard in jeopardy and the G.I.W.'s angry-machine was out of commission. (Though, he still kept sending Valerie dirty looks.)

Danny and Tucker had given up on playing video games about an hour before. So, to keep from going crazy, they'd finally settled for grabbing some junk food and making fun of TV shows.

"This has been: _The Flapjack Whisperer_ ," A little, cartoon surfer said, as the credits began to roll.

"Thank goodness, it's over," Tucker groaned. "This show was making me hungry. Even though I was eating chips, _while I watched it_."

"That guy can sure make a mean pancake, though," His best friend commented, sitting upside down on the couch, next to him.

"Next up: _The Critical Crew_ ," The cartoon-dude announced.

"The what?" Danny wondered aloud.

"Never heard of it," The techno-geek commented dryly.

Suddenly, the opening theme began, as the screen scrolled through five pictures. The first was a man pointing a camera at the viewers.

"Camera-ception!" The two boys cried happily.

Following the first man was a woman with a microphone, a younger woman with a duffel bag, a man with what looked like forensic equipment, and a really tall man with a notepad and pencil.

" _My name is David Mathis,_ " A new voice began, as the screen played clips from other episodes. " _I lost my self-made business, nine years ago, when I was conned by a friend, who turned out to be a fraud. I lost everything I owned. My situation... was_ _critical_ _. Now, my team and I have made it our mission to seek out other frauds, and expose them, before they can cause harm to anyone else's lives. Using our investigative talents, we travel the country, seeking out rumors, mysteries, and folklore, and finding out the truth behind them_.

" _Sometimes, what we find is strange_." A clip of a rabid monkey attacking the cameraman played. " _Sometimes, it's criminal_." Another clip played of a man cursing while being led away in handcuffs. " _And, on some rare occasions, we find something_ real." A campfire scene appeared, the people around it chatting happily. Then, a strong wind blew, putting out the fire, as a blood-curdling scream pierced the air. " _We investigate some of the strangest places on earth, so_ _you_ _know what's really going on_." The screen zoomed out to show the adults standing together, as an explosion went off in the background. " _We call ourselves '_ _The Critical Crew_ _'_."

"That's a bit over-dramatic, don't ya think?" Tucker asked the screen, as it cut to commercials.

Danny chuckled, "That's show-business, for you."

"I mean, _really_ ," The teal-eyed teen continued. "I'm sorry the guy got duped, and all. But, how often do these people see explosions on the job?"

" _We_ see explosions, almost every day," The halfa pointed out.

"Yeah, but we're not normal."

"Speak for yourself."

"You're _half ghost_."

"Shhh! It's coming back on!"

* * *

Ember McClain floated through the wall of the Amity Park mall, spotting the little Phantom there with her new family. She had to admit the kid was pretty adorable. Maybe even more adorable than her Dipstick of a brother. "Hey, Squirt," She called down. The cashier screamed and ran from the room, leaving the five girls as the only people in the store. The humans and half-ghost dropped into defensive stances, out of habit, before realizing who it was.

"Hey, Ember," Sam said, still somewhat cautious but trying to hide it. Mostly.

Ember was almost insulted. Hey, she couldn't help what the G.I.W.'s machine had made her do. And, if she wasn't going to attack anyone or try to take over the world, why should anyone care if she wanted to hang around the mall?

"Where's Babypop?"

"He's at home," Jazz said, nonchalantly. Okay, even the rocker had to admit that the redhead was _way_ too trusting, sometimes. "We're having a girl's day, shopping for Ellie."

"Cool," The blue ghost smiled. "I used to have those with my Mom, all the time." She had hoped to look around, herself, but she wasn't going to interrupt their bonding stuff. "Well, see ya, later," She called, flying back out.

* * *

The girls on the ground looked at each other. "Well, that was awkward," Sam noted. Mrs. Fenton nodded, as her daughters remained blissfully oblivious. It wasn't that she and Sam were _opposed_ to Danny's enemies becoming allies.

But, it was just so surreal.

* * *

"...I didn't know tonic water glowed under black-light," Tucker commented, as _The Critical Crew_ came to a close.

"I can't believe those people were putting it into their _rivers_ and hiding black-lights in the trees, to attract tourists," Danny added.

"This has been: _The Critical Crew_ ," Surfer-Dude said, returning. "Next up: _The Adventures Of Banana-Man & Blue-Bird_."

The channel cut to commercials, and the members of the Critical Crew suddenly reappeared on the screen. " _Do you believe in ghosts_?" The blonde girl asked dramatically.

" _Hauntings_?" The short one joined.

" _Evil spirits_?" The youngest man added.

A picture of a familiar line of buildings appeared on the screen. "Oh, no," The boys on the couch said in unison, looking at each other. Danny flipped right-side up, as they both turned back to the screen.

" _Well, this little city claims to have all three_ ," The tall one explained. " _By now, I'm sure you've heard of the ghosts-fights that supposedly trouble this little town in Illinois. But, what's_ really _going on in Amity Park? My crew and I intend to find out_." The camera zoomed out, and the man reached down for the suitcase sitting by his feet. The screen moved with him, as he walked over to a news van and tossed his bag in the back. "So, we're traveling to the so-called 'most haunted city in America' to bring you _the_ real _story_."

"Oh, no," The boys said, again, as Surfer-Dude returned.

* * *

"So, you think it's really haunted?" Carrie asked, cramming the last of her clothes back into her suitcase, where it had opened and dumped all of them onto the floor of her car. She slammed the lid shut and hopped up on top of it, so it could be latched.

"No, way," Toby replied, folding his arms. "Ghosts don't exist."

"And, yet, you believe in aliens," Dave pointed out, tossing his own suitcase into the van. They'd already done this for the cameras, but that had been weeks before, and the suitcase had been empty, anyways.

"Aliens can be scientifically proven," The younger man argued.

"Maybe ghosts can be, too," His sister, Angela, reasoned. "And, we just don't understand, yet, because no one's ever gotten any definitive proof that they've really talked to them."

"Well, _I_ think the whole thing's a scam," Ray said.

"There's only one way to find out," Carrie piped up cheerfully, hopping of the re-latched suitcase on her own car's trunk and tossing it into the van's with the others'. The worn-out travel item slammed against the back wall, popping open again, sending the blonde's clothes flying.

"Care, if I ever have kids, remind me _not_ to let you hold them," Toby commented, staring at the mess.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Well, that's the end of the first chapter. I know it's kinda short, but the next one'll be longer :) But, we get our first glimpse at the people from the end of 'The Core Cold' :)**

 **Also, I'm trying not to go so overboard with the commas. Can anyone tell?**

 **Well, lemme know what you think. Please, R &R. It makes me happy-dance and gives me motivation to write more :)**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	3. 2: The Nerd Option

**Chapter 2:**  
 **The Nerd Option**

* * *

"Noooo. Please, no," Danny whined, as his ghost sense went off for the fifth time that night. So far, every time had been The Box Ghost.

Sure, there hadn't been any attacks since the G.I.W. were taken down, - Except by Boxy, who insisted that the machine had never had any effect on him and he was just a 'naturally-terrifying being', - but he was still being cautious. There were still bad ghosts out there, just like there were bad humans. And, besides, the lack of ghostly violence didn't stop Danny's stupid, ectoplasmic-energy-sensing power from waking him up every time someone flew too close to his window.

His baby sister, on the other hand, had the same power, but wouldn't wake up unless and until she smelled breakfast cooking. Lucky.

The elder halfa rolled over to look at his clock. 7:15 am. Great. So, he was running late, on top of everything else.

With a huff, he got up and phased through the wall, into the morning sky. He didn't even bother to transform, instead staying invisible, until he knew if it was even worth it.

"I AM THE BOX GHOST!"

"OH, FOR THE LOVE OF-"

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a green van, with the words 'The Critical Crew' emblazoned on the side, sat near the 'Welcome To Amity Park' sign. Five people stood around it, stretching and getting their things together for their first shot of the little city.

"Ready, Dave?" Ray asked, settling the camera on his shoulder and pointing it at his friend.

The bald man nodded and readied himself, as the other started recording. "Amity Park, Illinois," He began ominously. The sun shone and birds chirped happily in the background, ruining his attempt at creepiness. "A beautiful, little town situated just miles from the Great Lakes. On the outside, it seems peaceful, happy, and - As the sign behind me suggests, - 'A nice place to live'. But, the people here claim to be plagued by violent ghosts, who terrorize the population and cause serious property damage, on a daily basis. Most disregard it as a hoax. Those who've come here, themselves, insist that it's all true. But, no one has been able to produce any definitive proof of what they claim to have seen. So, is it really the paranormal making themselves known, or some kind of tourist trap set up by the people of the town? My Crew and I are here to find out."

" _Aaaand_ , cut," Ray said. "Nice work, D."

"Thanks," The tall man smiled, picking up his bottle of water. Just as he brought it to his lips though, a green and grey blur (that looked an awful lot like two teens on a motorcycle) whizzed by. The draft it caused was so powerful that Dave's arm jerked back, causing him to splash himself in the face.

"Dude! What are those kids doing!?" Toby shouted incredulously, as the riders' joyful shouts and laughter faded away, into the distance.

"I don't think either of them are wearing helmets," Angela noted disapprovingly, as she handed Dave a napkin.

"How could you tell? They were going so fast I couldn't even tell if there was anyone on the bike," Carrie added.

"Should we report them?" Ray wondered. "I think I might've gotten them on camera. Maybe we can make out a license number, before they get themselves killed."

"But, you said 'cut'," Carrie noted.

"I always say that a few seconds before I stop rolling, and edit the other stuff out. Just for GP." Just as he said this though, a shadow fell over him, then disappeared. Ray yelped and dropped the camera, as it began sparking and smoking. It hit the ground and caught fire. The Crew could've sworn they heard laughter echoing from somewhere.

"What, the heck, was that?" Toby asked, as the strange fire went back out, just as quickly as it had appeared.

"I don't know. It's a good thing I brought backup cameras, though. I'll try to get the footage off of this one, but I doubt I'll be able to," Ray replied, carefully examining the smoldering device. "I'll just have to get one out of the van. Dave, can we retake that last scene?" He asked, walking towards the Crew's vehicle.

"Sure," The big man replied. Then, what looked like the same shadow from before seemed to leave the camera and head for the van. Suddenly, three tires popped, and all the doors flew open, of their own accord.

The journalists stared at it for several moments, before Toby sighed. "...I'll get the jack."

* * *

"Good work, Shadow," Johnny 13 chuckled, as he and Kitty settled down under a tree in the park.

"So, they're here to find out about the ghosts, huh?" He smirked.

"This should be fun," His girlfriend grinned back.

* * *

"So, do you think these ' _Critical Crew_ ' people are going to be a problem?" Val asked, as she and the others walked down the hall.

"I don't know. When the show first came on I figured they were like those hokey ghost-hunters that came to town, a few years ago," Danny admitted.

"Yeah, but I've been doing some research on them," Tucker said, poking the screen of his PDA. "And, apparently, they're legit. They just have a very hokey-looking show premise."

"Do you think they'll investigate Danny Phantom?" The Huntress wondered.

"Probably. He _is_ the most famous ghost in the town," Sam noted, as said famous ghost blushed lightly.

" _And_ , was considered public ghost-enemy number one," Tucker added.

"Maybe I should lie low for a few days," The halfa suggested, embarrassment replaced with nerves. "Just until they're gone.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Jazz soothed, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"Yeah, Bro. Maybe they just edited the film to make themselves look better," Tucker added.

"Maybe you're right," The Ghost-Boy smiled, calming. "Besides, they're coming to investigate the ghost-attacks. And, it's not like there've been many, since the Guys In White..." He trailed off, looking down the hallway. "Speaking of which."

* * *

The Geek Squad was standing together in front of Lester's locker, when the Nerd Herd approached. Danny stepped forward, as the three crowded together, backing up a step. They weren't afraid of _him_ , of course. But, they still weren't entirely certain about his friends.

Plus, they knew his secret identity, and he didn't know they knew. There was no telling how he would feel about that when they told him. - _If_ they told him. - And, the boys had already gotten into a heated discussion over whether they should, and whether or not ghosts had the power to wipe someone's memory, should they find out something they didn't want known.

The jury was still out on both.

"Hey, guys," Danny said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

"Hey," Mike said.

"Hey," Les repeated.

"Hi, Danny," Clark offered, a bit too cheerfully.

"You guys got a minute?" The Ghost-Boy asked. How could a big-time superhero be so... Normal, highschool-level awkward?

The three teens before him looked at the four behind him. "Sure," Les finally nodded. "But, let's go someplace quieter." Then, the bell rang and the kids sighed. Some in relief and others in agitation. "On second thought, let's meet up in the AV closet, at lunch," He amended.

"Is there enough room?" Tucker asked incredulously. Mike looked like he was about to say something about Danny being the only one invited, but Clark spoke before he could.

"How about the picnic tables outside?"

"Okay," Danny smiled. "See ya, there."

* * *

Toby fell back onto the hotel room couch happily. The Crew had just checked in and were simultaneously eager and exhausted. They wanted to check out the city. But, after riding all night, trying to fix the van, and having to push it to a service station when their phone service cut out, they just didn't have the energy.

Not that Toby or Angela would know anything about that. They'd stayed out-of-sight almost the entire time, making sure not to be seen with the others, since they were the designated 'fake-tourists'. People were weird about cameras. Some people talked too much in front of them, and others clammed up completely. The Crew felt it was best to keep at least one person unknown, for the most part. They would still meet up at the hotel, but would try to go unnoticed.

"Man, this place is _awesome_ ," Toby noted, grinning contentedly at the big screen TV. When asked why the good rooms were so cheap, the manager had nervously babbled something about 'silly rumors' and' ghosts don't _really_ exist'.

Oddly enough, she'd sounded like she was lying...

"Yeah," Ray agreed, smiling tiredly and dropping his bags in the kitchenette. "And, it hardly cost anything. Wonder if the girls' room is anything like this."

"Looks exactly like it, but with better wallpaper," Carrie answered, walking in. "Anybody else hungry?" Several hands shot up, as Angela appeared behind her.

"Room service?" Toby asked.

"Have you seen the prices? The rooms are cheap, but the food is not," Dave argued, pulling out a map of the city he'd gotten from the mechanic. "The studio's paying for boarding, not meals. There's a fast food place down the street. We'll just go there."

Ray groaned, collapsing into a nearby armchair overdramatically. No one on the Crew could fathom why he chose to stay behind the camera, rather than in front of it. "You guys go on without me. I'm too tired," He grumbled, miming the actions of a dying viking in the midst of an immense battle.

"It's not even noon," Carrie pointed out. "And, changing the tires wasn't _that_ hard."

"He was up half the night, driving," Angela reminded her. "I'll just go grab some take-out, while you guys get settled in," She said, heading for the door.

"Ange, have I mentioned you're my best friend?" Ray asked gratefully. The woman with the curly, red hair just smiled back.

"I'll come with you," Her brother offered, hopping up. "I'm all antsy from riding too long."

"Thanks, guys," Dave called after them, as they headed out.

"Watch out for ghosts," Carrie grinned sarcastically.

"Speaking of ghosts," Ray started, "Anybody else thinking that mechanic was majorly weird?"

"Maybe he was possessed or something," Carrie smirked.

"I seriously doubt it," Dave commented. "He _was_ acting strangely but, maybe he was just backwards," He reasoned.

"Maybe," The other two agreed in unison.

Suddenly, Carrie laughed, "Hey, maybe a ghost broke your camera, Ray."

The brown-eyed man chuckled back, "Yeah. And, maybe it messed up the van, too."

* * *

After dealing with the odd looks they were sending each other all morning, the Nerd Herd and the Geek Squad finally met up at lunch, thankful that most of the other students - Including the A-Listers - were inside. The eight teens stood on either side of the picnic table furthest from the school, off to themselves, staring at each other uncertainly. It wasn't that they didn't know what to say, they were just having a hard time saying it. Especially, with Sam unconsciously glaring at the newcomers, with her personal brand of overprotectiveness.

Then, Jazz elbowed her. "Stop terrifying them," She whispered, before turning back to the boys. "We know that you know," She stated simply.

The three geeks paled considerably. "Oh, _now_ who's terrifying them?" Sam smirked, elbowing the redhead back.

"Guys, I-" Danny started, before Mike interrupted him.

"Please don't wipe our memories!"

The halfa blinked. "I'm not even gonna ask where you got the idea I could wipe memories. But, for the record, I do not have that power, nor do I know anybody who does," He replied, as the three boys relaxed slightly. "Well, I mean, I guess Desiree _technically_ could. She's done it to me, before. But, she's not exactly a friend," He noted, almost to himself. "I just wanted to thank you guys for what you did last week," He smiled.

"No problem," Mikey said, his expression still guarded.

"We should be the ones thanking you," Les said, managing to at least _look_ neutral.

"So, your parents _aren't_ experimenting on you?" Clark nearly begged. He couldn't stand the thought of anyone else going through what the G.I.W. had done.

"What?" The others asked, surprised.

"Of course, not," The Ghost-Boy insisted. The geeks all relaxed, now. "Is that what you were worried about?"

"Well, yeah," Mikey admitted. "I mean, they're ghost-hunters. And, you're a ghost. And, everyone knows they hate Phantom."

"Or, was it some kind of act to throw everyone off?" Les posed.

"No, it wasn't an act," Danny chuckled. "They just didn't know about it, until last Monday."

"Huh?" Mike blinked.

"How can a ghost live in the house with two ghost-hunters and _not_ get caught?" Lester asked incredulously.

"It's a long story," Danny smiled, glancing at his Team. "If you've got the time, that is..."

The three boys nodded eagerly, as the teens all gathered around the picnic table. They had a lot to cover before P.E.

* * *

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the large group of teens, two of the A-Listers were _not_ inside. At least, they weren't inside the school. At Paulina's demand, Dash and Kwan had snuck off to grab lunch from the Nasty Burger. Even though they technically weren't supposed to. But, it wasn't like they'd get in trouble for it, unless one of the teachers noticed. Which was incredibly unlikely.

And, that's how they met the new 'tourists'.

"So, is it true about the hauntings your town's been - supposedly - having," Toby smiled, trying to hide most of his skepticism.

"Well, yeah," Kwan began, as he and Dash looked at the newcomers, while they all waited in line. "I mean, they've been pretty calm lately, ever since the -" He stopped suddenly, as his friend slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Uh-Uhh. Since we bought that ghost-repellant online. Right. That stuff really works." Dash stammered, not letting go of the other teen's face. He looked at the adults, who looked back at him. "...Well, We gotta go," He said quickly, before dragging Kwan outside.

The siblings stared after them, before turning to each other.

"...This may be one of those rare times something weird really is going on," Toby noted

"I think you may be right," His sister admitted, as she grabbed their food from the cashier and started for the door. That was the third odd reaction their questions had gotten, so far.

"Seriously," Her brother insisted, trailing behind her, "The longer we're here, the less I think 'ghosts' and the more I lean towards 'mercury in the water'."

"Pretty sure that would kill everyone, Tobe."

"...Maybe that's where the ghosts are coming from," The young man smirked.

* * *

"Dude, what was that about?" Kwan asked incredulously, looking at his nervous friend.

"I don't know, man. I've got a _really_ bad feeling about those two. I don't think we should tell them about the G.I.W. thing. Let's just get back to school," Dash replied.

"But, we don't even have our food, yet."

"We'll just have to get something from the cafeteria."

"Paulina's not gonna be happy about that," The dark-haired teen pointed out.

Dash paused a moment, staring at the ground. Then, he shook his head and kept moving. "She'll just have to be not-happy."

* * *

"Whoa," Mike breathed, just as the bell rang.

"So, _that's_ how it works," Les added, as the nine teens stood and made their way back inside.

"Yeah," Danny winced. He had just finished explaining everything that had happened, up to the second portal accident after Desiree wiped his memories. Including how, exactly, someone could be half ghost. (This information courtesy of Clockwork.) "So, pretty cool that the ghosts are being nice, now, huh?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah," Clark smiled, practically skipping down the hall. "I wonder if they'll stop attacking the school, now."

And, of course, that jinxed it.

"BEWARE!"

"That would be a 'no'," Tucker deadpanned. "At least, as far as Boxy's concerned."

"Guys, cover me," Danny said, ducking into a closet, as seven people moved to shield his transformation from the screaming teens and teachers in the hall. A moment later, Danny Phantom flew out.

"Whoa," Mike breathed, again.

"Ditto," Lester agreed.

The three geeks watched in awe, as their short friend fought off the annoying creature. It was hard to believe they'd been so scared of the blue nuisance, only days before.

* * *

"Okay," Ray started, leaning back against contentedly, an empty take-out tray in his lap. "I feel better, now."

"Yeah," Carrie agreed, perched on the back of the couch. "For a place called 'The Nasty Burger', their burgers are actually pretty good."

"So, are we ready to check out the town for ourselves, now?" Dave asked. Carrie and Ray readily agreed.

"Get this," Toby started excitedly, grabbing the others' attention. "A bunch of people were acting really nervous when we asked them questions. And, we ran into these weird teens, who acted like they were hiding something. Then, some people said that there's this big cover-up thing going on."

"What?" Ray asked incredulously. "And, they just, outright, _told you_ about the cover-up?"

"We might've overheard some elderly men talking, from the opposite side of a booth, while we were waiting for our order," Angela blushed, grinning sheepishly.

"What'd they say?" Carrie asked, plopping down from the couch's back onto the cushions, next to Ray. She propped her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands, ready for story-time.

"Okay, so a few days ago, the mayor got arrested," Toby began.

Ray snorted, "That's not surprising. Politicians get into legal trouble all the time."

"For terrorism?" The siblings asked in unison.

"What!?" The others asked.

"He made a bomb and threatened to blow up the city, if some woman he has a big-time crush on wouldn't leave her husband for him."

"And, he really thought that would work?" Dave asked incredulously.

Toby shrugged. "Apparently, he was incredibly unstable."

"What terrorist isn't?" Ray noted.

"True," Angela conceded. "Then, someone else started talking about a group that they only referred to by acronym. What was it?" She muttered, turning to her brother. "'B.I.W.'? 'G.O.Q.'?" She sighed when Toby shrugged, and turned back to the other Crew-members. "Something like that. It seems they've been causing some kind of major trouble of their own."

"According to the women we overheard, they've been posing as government agents and threatening to audit people's taxes if they start asking too many questions. Then, someone called in the Marines and they took 'em down, Friday."

The group sat in silence for several moments, absorbing the information. "...Do you think they've got something to do with the ghosts?" Carrie asked.

"Maybe," Angela replied, looking to Dave. "I heard someone say that the ghosts have been a lot quieter, ever since."

"We'll need to look into them. This investigation just got a whole lot bigger," The big man noted seriously.

"So, any idea where we should start?" Carrie wondered. She, along with Ray and Dave, turned to the siblings expectantly.

"Yep," Toby smiled.

"Apparently, this town has its own, resident ghost-hunters," Angela continued.

"One of the guys we talked to -"

"Rather than eavesdropping on," Carrie noted. The sister blushed, while the brother ignored her.

"- said to head east and look for the sign that says _FentonWorks_."

* * *

 **AN: There, we go. Nearly twice as long as the last chapter. I'm getting back to my normal writing length, slowly but surely :))**

 **Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Well, that was a whole lot happening, in a small amount of time. :) I'm trying to make this one a little less-wordy than 'The Core Cold', but I hope it's not moving** ** _too_** **fast.**

 **I do not own** ** _The Geek Squad_** **. Pretty sure** ** _Best Buy_** **does.**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **AstroGravity Phan**

 **GhostWriterGirl-1**

 **InsomniacWhoOverslept92**

 **Envy20**

 **Specter14**

 **calvinator09**

 **inazumadraco**

 **jiffy185**

 **Darkhorse Douglas**

 **xXPhantomSongXx**

 **Illusn**

 **JacobPhantom**

 **Wonky Wendy**

 **You guys are awesome! :)))**

 **Also, my awesome friend, InsomniacWhoOverslept92 has created another masterpiece inspired by 'The Core Cold', so you guys seriously** ** _need_** **to go check it out! It's AMAZING! You can find it on DeviantArt under:**

 **/art/Delusional-Yeah-742409380**

 **Just go to the site, add that to the end of the address bar, and the link should, hopefully, work :)) If not, got to the site and search for aspectofdesign.**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	4. 3: The Silence Of The Cam(era)s

**Chapter 3:**

 **The Silence Of The Cam(era)s**

* * *

"What do you mean, 'you left before you got our food'?" Paulina asked angrily, cornering her boyfriend in one of Casper High's many hallways. "I just wanted a salad. It would've taken them five minutes."

"It was... crowded," The blond excused, glancing at his best friend out of the corner of his eye.

"Then, tell the other people to move, because _my_ lunch is more important than theirs."

"I don't think it works that way, outside of the school," Kwan noted, returning his friend's look. The Latina began muttering furiously in Spanish, as Star tried to calm her down.

 _ **That**_ _ **idiot**_ _ **. Doesn't that worthless loser know how lucky he is to have me?**_

"Dash?" Kwan asked. The blond jumped, as his friend's hand landed on his shoulder. He'd apparently been staring into space, again.

"Huh?" The quarterback responded numbly. Kwan started to say something but never got the chance, as the sudden sounds of screaming suddenly rang out around them.

Out of nowhere, the blue monster who'd completely destroyed the gym only days before appeared. The Box Ghost flew around the corner, chasing a horde of terrified students. The four A-Listers quickly followed their classmates' lead.

* * *

Several hours later, after handling Boxy three more times - It didn't take long, but it was irritating, - Danny and his friends headed back to _FentonWorks_ together. When they arrived, they weren't terribly surprised to find a strange van parked out front. The Fenton kids just shrugged it off. People always stopped by to talk to the local 'ghost experts', when they came to town. Or, to ask about 'that big, silver thingy on the roof'. Though, thankfully the Fenton parents were a lot more knowledgeable about the former, now that they were getting their information from a _real_ ghost.

"Dude," Tucker said, stopping in his tracks and getting everyone's attention. "Look," He pointed to the vehicle.

"Oh, no," Danny groaned, finally close enough to see the writing on the side. He'd figured it would happen, but he was hoping it wouldn't be so soon.

"What's wrong?" Mikey asked.

"The Critical Crew," The five who were in the loop chorused miserably.

"They're a group of investigative journalists here to look into the ghost-fights," Sam explained.

"Too bad they're about two days too late," Tucker noted.

"Either way, we need to be careful. They could be dangerous. And, the last thing I need, now that my life is finally calming down, is the press breathing down my neck more than they already do," Danny grumbled, as they approached the group standing in front of his house.

"JAZZY-PANTS! DANNY-BOY!" Jack called cheerfully, standing with his wife and the Crew. The short one of the adults' group turned to point his camera at the kids. "COME MEET THE HOLLYWOOD PEOPLE WHO'RE DOING A SPECIAL ON THE GHOSTS!"

The two teens in question blushed, knowing that (with their luck) those nicknames would soon be shouted on TVs all over the world. Danny was about to decline the offer, when Les elbowed him.

"This would be a good chance to find out how much they know, and kill any possible suspicions," The tallest of the group muttered. Unfortunately, he was right. So, the eight friends walked over, all of them feeling awkward and self-conscious before the recording device.

"Don't be shy, kids," The short man coaxed, smiling behind his bulky equipment.

"I'm David Mathis," The other man, introduced. He was tall, bald and his green eyes were almost as bright as Phantom's. He held his hand out to shake theirs. "This is Carrie Lowe," He said pointing to the blonde woman. "And, Ray Little," He gestured to the cameraman, who was only about six inches taller than Danny. "We're The-"

"The Critical Crew," Tucker interrupted, plastering on a fake smile. "We've seen your show. It's pretty awesome."

"Thanks," Ray smiled back, as the others replied similarly.

"Where're the other two?" Danny asked. "Tony and Angela, right?"

The adults glanced at each other, seeming almost nervous. " _Toby_ and Angela? They didn't come along on this trip," Dave said.

"So, you guys have seen the ghosts?" Carrie asked the teens, changing the subject. Jack and Maddie and the geeks didn't notice, but the other kids were masters of changing the subject.

"Uh, sure," Danny answered, trying to hide his nervousness and suspicion. (He had a bad feeling he'd failed at both.)

"We see them all the time," Jazz played along.

"Nearly every day, in fact," Mike added.

"I _do_ see them every day," Val noted, as several of the others agreed.

"Mind introducing yourselves for the camera?" Ray asked kindly, though they got the feeling it wasn't actually a question. He pointed his recording device at them, one by one.

"Uh, Mike Holloway, Jr."

"Clark Reuben."

"Valerie Gray."

"Lester Schwartz."

"Sam Manson."

"Tucker Foley."

"Jazz Fenton."

"Danny Fenton."

"Fenton? Oh, so you two are the ghost-hunters' kids."

"Paranormal scientists," Maddie corrected defensively. "Ghosts are sentient creatures, Miss Lowe. We don't hunt them. We do our best to learn from them, when we can."

"What about the attacks?" Ray asked. "From what we've heard, the ghosts aren't much for talking."

"While some of them can be very violent," The mother conceded, "Most of them are peaceful. The problem is that the peaceful ones usually stay in the Ghost Zone, - The ghosts' home dimension, - while the not-so-peaceful ones come here to cause trouble. Sadly, they're the ones that get most of the attention."

Danny couldn't put into words how good it felt to hear his mother talk like that. He almost could've cried. Why had he ever been so afraid to tell his parents about his powers?

The two groups began talking amiably, while Ray seemingly attempted to capture as much as he could. "Are you hearing this?" Carrie muttered, walking over to him. She was out of earshot of the others, but not for Danny. "These kooks really believe this stuff." The little ghost half-glared at her from behind his taller friends, who'd unconsciously stepped in front of him.

Then, his ghost sense went off and a huge pair of hands grabbed him under his arms from behind. He was quickly turned invisible and intangible, and flown up into his bedroom. It was all he could do not to shout in surprise. He dropped to the floor and transformed instinctively, as Ellie wandered in. He whirled around, ready for a fight.

Then, he deflated. "Ugh. What are you doing?" He groaned, gazing grumpily up at Skulker.

The mechanical ghost seemed almost hurt. "You agreed to have a rematch with me, after you came home from school. Be warned, though, I will not go so easy on you, this time," He said haughtily. He grabbed the boy's arm again, dragging him out through the ceiling, the smaller half-ghost transforming and following along.

"I know, but I'm kinda in the middle of something important," Danny protested, gesturing to the people on the ground. "Can't it wait 'till later?" Then, he heard several gasps and looked down to find everyone's eyes, along with The Critical Crew's camera, trained directly on him. "Oi," He grumbled, taking his arm back.

"Oh, come on. You promised," Skulker whined.

" _Please_ , Danny," Ellie begged, her big, blue eyes even bigger than usual. "Mom said Ellie _Fenton_ had to stay out of sight of the news people, until we could get my paperwork sorted out. I'm missing out on all the cool stuff. I'm bored and I wanna play, too."

Danny looked at them, then at the people on the ground. Then, he smirked. "Well, I guess I did promise. And, we might as well give the newbies a show, right?"

* * *

"What, the heck!?" Ray said, glancing up when he heard a noise above them. And, that's when he saw three glowing beings floating over the building's strange, UFO-ish topper. He aimed his camera up at them, as they began firing weapons and what looked like laser beams at each other, flying around and dodging almost gracefully.

The others followed his gaze. The kids and Fenton parents did a double take, looking between where Danny had just been standing and where both halfas now were. "So, this is one of the so-called 'ghost-fights'?" Carrie muttered, seeming unimpressed. The other two Crew-members said nothing, preferring to keep their thoughts to themselves, until they were ready to reveal all of them.

"These are some of the 'violent' ghosts?" Dave asked, turning to Jack and Maddie.

"Actually, no," Jazz interjected, before her parents could reply. "The big one is Skulker and the little ones are the Phantom siblings. The Phantoms protect the town from the bad ghosts. Skulker used to be dangerous, then he made peace with the Phantoms. Now, they're allies."

"That doesn't look very 'peaceful' to me," Ray noted. The three newcomers jumped, as a stray blast bounced off of a shield Skulker had pulled out of somewhere, and took out a nearby lamppost.

"Sorry!" Danny's echoing voice called out absently.

"They're just sparring," Tucker explained. "Sparring and sword-fighting are ghosts' favorite past-times. Like baseball is for us."

"Yeah," Sam shrugged, "They're just playing, really."

"The bad ones usually aim for people and buildings," Val added.

The peaceful part was seemingly proven correct, when the fight came lower and the Phantoms managed to pin Skulker to the ground. "Fine," He grumbled. "You win. But, I want another rematch, later," He insisted. "And, I want to take you on separately. Two against one isn't fair, even if the Whelpette is tiny."

"Hey," The smaller Phantom protested, letting the older ghost up, as her brother grinned behind his hand. And, with that, Skulker took off and the two younger ghosts disappeared into thin air. Ray backed up a few steps, training his camera on the figure he could still see flying away.

Then, he saw something flash out of the corner of his eye.

* * *

Danny flew back into the alley beside _FentonWorks_ to transform and hopefully sneak back to the group before anyone noticed he was gone. (He assumed his little sister had gone back inside.) Two familiar, white rings appeared around the boy's waist, traveling up and down his body, as his appearance changed from that of a ghost to a human.

Then someone gasped, behind him.

"Kid, _you're_ the ghost-kid?" Danny felt like his heart _and_ core stopped. He turned to find the short Crew-member - What was his name? Roy? - standing in the alley's opening, his camera trained on him. "Oh, this just keeps getting better."

"Uhh," The boy stammered, trying to think of an excuse. "N-No. You can't be a human _and_ a ghost. Th-That's ridiculous! I'm human!" But, the man was having none of it. Danny was just glad the camera didn't seem to be recording. But, he could be wrong. As bad as it was, he'd have to sabotage the film later, just in case.

"So, are you a _real ghost_ , then? Pretending to be human? Or, is it some kind of technology? How do you do it? That thing with the rings? Do you glow in the dark? How do you fly, like that?" The questions kept coming, as the man grinned, stepping closer and closer.

"Umm, umm," Danny said, backing into the wall, looking around for some way out of the situation, without revealing more than he already had. His eyes were wide and panicked.

Then he got an idea.

"Mom! MOM! SOME CREEPY MAN'S HARASSING ME!"

* * *

Maddie had always heard that people in the media were crazy and kept a dog-eat-dog attitude about others, but these folks were really nice. She and Jack stood with the kids, talking to a couple members of the film crew outside their front door. She wished she could've helped her kids with the fighting. But, since it was just Skulker, she opted for distracting the newcomers, unless and until her babies called for backup.

Then, just after the mechanical ghost flew away, Danny actually _did_ call her. From the alley beside the house. "Mom! MOM! SOME CREEPY MAN'S HARASSING ME!"

Two milliseconds later, Maddie Fenton skidded around the corner, weapons at the ready and several more she always carried with her close-at-hand. It did not look good. Her baby was backed against a wall, the Crew's cameraman leaning over him, grinning eerily.

Danny seemed so tiny and helpless. (For someone so incredibly _not_ -helpless.) He couldn't even use his powers, for fear of being found out. Her little boy needed her.

" _ **YOU, GET AWAY FROM MY BABY, YOU CREEP!**_ " She screamed, springing into action.

* * *

Some time later, after having an interesting talk with the police, the large group of teens sat around the _FentonWorks_ living room, chatting happily. Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz, (The latter of which was the only one not sitting in the floor,) had just finished explaining the rest of the past two years to the Geek Squad, and the three boys had eaten it up like a plate of fresh-baked cookies.

"So, where do you think the other two Critical Crew guys really were?" Danny asked suddenly, a thoughtful expression on is face.

"Huh? The geeks replied, in unison.

"I thought they said they didn't come with them," Les noted.

Jazz looked at them. "Oh, come on. Even _I_ knew they were lying," She noted, smiling, glad to not be the most-naive one in the group, for once.

The others hummed in thought, and Tucker tapped at his PDA's screen. "Well, according to what Danny and I saw the other day, and the show's fanbase, the Crew almost always has someone go undercover. Just in case they run into people who don't like to talk to cameras."

"Y'know," Val added. "I thought I overheard Dash and Kwan talking about some weirdos they met at _The Nasty Burger_ , earlier."

"Okay, so we need to keep an eye out for two weird out-of-towners, who ask too many questions," Sam noted.

"Looks like it," The techno-geek replied.

"What do they look like?" Mike asked. Tucker turned his device around, showing the group a picture. In it, the three they'd met earlier stood next to a young man with buzz-cut and a toothy grin. And, on the other side of him was a kind-looking, young woman with curly, (almost frizzy,) red hair.

"Toby and Angela Mothers," Tucker said.

"Husband and wife?" Les wondered.

The technology-loving boy shook his head. "Siblings. They'll probably be in disguise, though. At least, according to this," He added, gesturing to the circuit-filled object in his hands. "So, everyone be on the lookout." The others nodded, seriously.

"Speaking of looking out," Les began, clearing his throat. He glanced at his two best friends almost shyly, as he noticed how many eyes were on him. "Did you guys see us on the news, the other day?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck, much like Danny did.

Several affirmatives rose around the room. "Yeah, Dude! You guys were awesome!" Tucker smiled, as the Geeks preened.

"We were kinda wondering if you'd like to help us figure out who got hit with the G.I.W.'s ray," Mike explained, smiling. Ghost powers would definitely make the search easier.

The rest of the group looked at each other. "Oh, yeah," Sam muttered. Was she _blushing_? "Forgot about that."

"We'd love to help," Danny smiled. "In fact, we kind of already are."

"Huh?" The three boys asked, surprised.

"Sam's one of the people who got hit," Tucker explained, entirely unconcerned.

"WHAT!?" The Geeks shouted, suddenly frantic.

"Are you okay!?"

"Did it hurt!?"

"Are you showing any signs of possible, extra limbs sprouting up, anytime soon?"

"Guys, guys," Sam said, holding her hands out to calm them. Valerie covered her mouth with a hand, trying to hide her grin, as Danny and Tucker leaned on each other, cackling at Clark's question. The goth girl took a moment to glare at her male friends before continuing. "I'm fine," She smiled, turning back to the geeks. "At least, as far as we can tell." Tucker let out a long, sighing laugh and slumped face-first into the carpet over Danny's legs. The shortest of the group, meanwhile, was laughing so hard that no sound was coming out, and simply propped himself on his best friend's back. Sam ignored them. "Mr. and Mrs. Fenton have been keeping an eye on it, since they know more about what to look for."

The newcomers looked at each other. "Then, who was the other kid who got hit?" Les wondered.

"We don't know, yet," Danny admitted, calming. He sat up, wiping at his eyes, as Tucker tried to catch his breath. "That's why we've been looking into it. I even snuck into the news station and grabbed their footage of that fight, but we couldn't see Sam or other person." He paused. "Speaking of which, I need to check out The Critical Crew's stuff. I think the cameraman might've gotten my transformation on tape."

"WHAT!?" The others in the room - Including his parents, who'd just walked in, - shouted. The halfa quickly covered his oversensitive ears.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Ellie said, suddenly appearing between her sister on the couch and her brother in the floor, holding a video cassette. The others jumped in surprise.

"So, this is your clone?" Les asked numbly. (It had been a long week.)

"Yep," The preteen grinned proudly. "Soon to be 'sister'." She handed the tape to her new parents. "Before I went back inside from our fight with Skulker, I noticed one of the news guys getting close to the alley where Danny was, so I followed him," She shrugged. "I was bored, sitting inside," She added in excuse. "I took the tape out of his camera, while he was pelting Danny with questions, just before Mom came and beat him up. Man, that was awesome!" She said, floating over to hug her new mother.

"GOOD THINKING, ELLIE-RINCESS," The proud Jack Fenton beamed, smiling and hugging his newest, little baby, himself.

Maddie seemed to almost feel guilty. "I hate that I treated that poor man like that, when he hadn't actually done anything to you." She admitted. Her gaze hardened though, as she put her arm around her son. "But, he shouldn't have scared my baby boy," She cooed, pinching his cheek.

"Moooooom," Danny groaned, blushing, as the others tried to hide their grins.

After a few minutes, things had settled back down and the kids had all fallen into easy conversation. Then, Jazz nudged her brother with her foot. "Huh?" He asked, looking up at her.

She discreetly - Well, discreetly for Jazz, - tipped her head towards Clark, Les, and Mike. "Are you gonna ask them?"

The halfa's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, yeah," He muttered. "Guys," He called, getting everyone's attention. "So, we've already been through this with my parents and Valerie," He began uncertainly, rubbing the back of his neck. "And, you don't have to say 'yes', if you don't want to," He added.

"What Danny's trying to say -" Sam interrupted, realizing where he was going and taking over. "- is that we have this sort of... Club, for helping Phantom out with the ghosts."

"We understand if you don't want to be involved in the actual fighting," Jazz added.

Then, it was Tucker's turn. "But, we could still use your help with other stuff. Like figuring out who got hit by the G.I.W.'s ray, and keeping Danny and Ellie's secret from The Critical Crew and the world in general."

"I know this is kinda sudden, but -" Danny looked the three boys in the eyes. "- do you guys wanna join Team Phantom?"

The three looked at each other, dumbfounded. Then, they grinned.

" _ **AWESOME**_!"

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Way to go, Mrs. Fenton! Kick that creep to kingdom come! (Even though he's not actually doing anything...) *Grins innocently***

 **Yay! Team Phantom just got a little bit bigger! Again! So, now there's... *Counts on fingers* ...Eleven! Ooooh! This is gonna be fun!**

 ***Grins and taps fingertips together, like a cartoon villain* Now, what to do about Ray...**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **GhostWriterGirl-1 5-3-2018**

 **AstroGravity Phan 5-3-2018**

 **A Vivid Reader 5-4-2018**

 **Cilac 05-08-2018**

 **A Vivid Reader 05-04-2018**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	5. 4: The Fenton File

**Chapter 4:**  
 **The Fenton File**

* * *

"Ah-ah-owww," Ray groaned, lifting an icepack to his head. He flinched and groaned again, as he propped his leg on the hotel room's coffee table.

"Dude. You got thrashed by a tiny woman in a blue jumpsuit," Carrie noted, amused and not-at-all sympathetic.

"She's not a lady, she's a _DEMON_!" He cried, then winced, as his own voice only worsened his headache.

"It serves you right. You shouldn't have been messing with her kid," She insisted. Dave just stood behind them, silently polishing the lens of one of the cameras.

"I wasn't messing with the kid!" He shouted, trying to sit up. Then, he winced again and settled back down. "I was just trying to get an interview, and he freaked out. I don't even remember what scared him, since that _demon-lady_ introduced my head to the concrete," He glared at his now-bandaged ankle. He'd twisted it trying to escape from the 'Blue Demon', as he now had the Crew calling her.

"You don't _remember_?" Toby asked, equally-unsympathetic, leaning forward to look around the back of the armchair he was sitting in. "So, how do you know you weren't messing with him?"

"Because, I wouldn't do that!" He defended, wincing once more, as Angela came over with another first-aid kit.

"Maybe he misunderstood something you said," The redhead suggested. She sat down on the couch next to him, pulling out a bottle of antiseptic and starting to work on his scrapes.

"I don't think so," He said, something fuzzy blurring in and out of focus at the back of his mind. He could almost see it, but not enough to know for sure. "I... I think I saw him in the alley just after the ghost-fight, and thought he saw where those kid ghosts went. Then, I asked him about it, and he got all defensive and sicced his _demon_ mother on me."

Carrie snorted, "Just be glad he didn't call his tank of a dad, or you'd be flattened on the pavement, cartoon-style."

"D, help me out, here," Ray begged, turning to his best friend.

"I hate to say it, but the kid being involved in the ghost-fight actually makes a lot more sense than Ray attacking someone's child," Dave finally piped up in the shorter man's defense. Ray knew he could count on him.

"Are you saying you actually _believe_ all this paranormal stuff?" Toby asked indignantly.

"No," The dark-skinned man clarified quickly. "I still think that's some kind of hologram or something. A sophisticated trick. Especially, when you consider the other things you and Angie heard this morning. Plus, what you got from the library and what we saw this afternoon. But, there's no denying that _something's_ going on."

"So, if we could follow it back to the source, then, whatever the cause, it'd make a great story," Angela concluded, smiling.

"Exactly," Dave smiled back. "Think about it," He said, standing, his notepad and pencil in-hand. The crew sat up, on the edge of their seats. Whenever Dave started to pace, they always got a really big scoop soon after. He was like a doweling rod for news. "This whole town believes in these crazy, ghost things, right? Or, at least, they claim to," He continued. The Crew nodded. "But, they're not normal ghosts, who jump out and say 'boo'. Not the kind you see in haunted houses or even high-budget movies. They're more like characters from a comic book, gone _rogue_. They fight in the streets, they cause major, physical damage -"

 ***Pop***

The bubble Carrie was blowing suddenly burst. "Some kind of androids, maybe?" She asked, suddenly hopeful, as she maneuvered the gum back into her mouth.

Dave tapped his pencil eraser on his chin, thinking, before pointing it to her, "Maybe. It's definitely something _big_ , though. Because, then you have this whole, fake-government-agents thing. What could that be about? If it's even true." He stopped in his tracks, tapping his chin some more.

"Well, Toby and Ange did hear the people in The Nasty Burger say something about a cover-up," Ray noted.

"Covering _what_ , though?" Toby asked. "From what I've seen so far, coupled with the stories we've heard and the pictures Ange and I saw on the library computers, - But, for some reason could _not_ find anywhere on the internet, before we got here, - _no place_ in this town is safe. _Every_ building has been seriously damaged, at least once. There's, _literally_ , _nowhere_ to hide an operation big enough to require _this_ level of distraction."

"Except in the fake government agents' base," His sister pointed out.

"Which is why no one found out about them, until someone _really_ looked into them," Toby pointed out.

"Yeah, but, now, _everyone_ knows about them. Nearly _all_ their records were destroyed, when they evacuated their base. And, what little was recovered was about _dissecting_ the ghosts alive, - Er, - so to speak." Dave added, as the group shuddered. Real or not, that thought was a pretty gruesome thought.

Ray picked up one of the files Toby and Angela had brought back from the library. The siblings had printed off a surprising amount of information, while the rest of the Crew was at _FentonWorks_. Especially, considering the fact that they'd found little more than rumors, before their arrival in Amity Park.

"What if the ghosts aren't fake?" Angela posed. "What if they're some kind of undiscovered species?"

" _Or_ , what if those G.I.W. people were performing illegal, genetic experimentations?" Carrie added, a bit too excited. She gasped, "And, their test-subjects got too out-of-hand and escaped, and now they're running wild on the population. But, the G.I.W. had the only supply of some kind of genetically-altered food or something, that keeps them alive and gives them their powers. And, they keep having to go back for more, which is why they never leave the town!" The girl was practically bouncing, at this point, her backwards ball-cap threatening to fall off of her blonde ponytail.

"You really believe that?" Toby asked.

"Nah," She waved him off, calming. "But, it'd make a great sci-fi novel."

"You may be onto something," Dave said, surprising everyone.

"She _what_?" Ray asked, confused. He sat up, turning to look at his friend, despite the pain it caused him.

"Not the whole 'sci-fi and superpowers' thing," The big man clarified. "Ange's 'undiscovered species' idea. Sort of. You said the Fenton kid freaked out when you asked him about where those Phantom kids went?"

"Yeah. So?" The short man replied.

"So, what's the one other place that's never been seriously damaged by the ghost-attacks?"

" _FentonWorks_ ," Toby answered instantly, starting to catch on.

"I thought, like, _everything_ happened around there," Carrie noted. The blonde perched herself on the arm of the couch next to Angela, kicking her sneakers back and forth absently.

"Exactly," The redhead said, realization dawning in her eyes. "There's plenty of activity in that area, - More than anywhere else, actually, - but there's never been any major damage done."

"Right," Dave nodded, trading out his pencil and pad for one of the files on the kitchenette's table. "According to the townspeople and every visiting paranormal investigator who's ever set foot in the place, - Who apparently _have_ to blog about it, -" He added, with a roll of his eyes. "- It's a veritable _fortress_ , with a sofa. Even the time it was supposedly under siege by a flying pirate ship that stole all the adults in town, -

"Or, the time it was _supposedly_ hijacked, sprouted legs, and walked itself to the lakefront," Toby interrupted.

"- It never took any real damage," Dave finished.

 ***Thunk***

Suddenly, Ray's head tipped back, hitting the top of the couch, as he groaned dismally.

"What's wrong?" Angela asked, concerned.

"We have to investigate the Blue Demon and her little demon-lings," He replied unhappily, his hopes dashing mercilessly against the harsh and jagged rocks of reality.

Dave nodded. "These people always show up just _after_ things happen. They're the only _resident_ paranormal scientists in the self-proclaimed ' _Most-Haunted City In America_ '. All the others are from out of town, and they don't stay long. And, for some reason, any pictures, footage, or other evidence out-of-towners get is mysteriously lost, destroyed, or corrupted, by the time they leave. Only live-casts from the _local_ news, and _locals_ with cameras, ever get anything. And, _nothing_ Toby and Angela got from the Library's wifi shows up, if you step outside the city limits." He started pacing again, his green eyes burning into the file in his hands, as he flipped through it.

"The Fentons design and build 'ghost-weapons'. Supposedly, the only kind that really work. And, judging by their patents, all the ones the G.I.W. used were rip-offs of theirs." He stopped, closing the file and turning to his crew. "If they're so knowledgeable, why do they always show up late to ghost-attacks? We've all seen that Mrs. Fenton can hold her own," He gestured to Ray. "And, I'd hate to see what _Mr._ Fenton's capable of. The man's a mountain, and that's coming from _me_ ," He folded his arms.

"So, why do they have such a poor reputation for actually _catching_ and/or _stopping_ ghosts? Why do they never show up in time, especially when the majority of the ghost-sightings happen near their own home? Why are there only two ghost-hunters -"

"Paranormal scientists," Ray corrected.

"- _Paranormal scientists_ -" The bald man conceded. "- in the 'Most-Haunted City In America'? Why is no one, outside of Amity Park, able to keep evidence of the daily attacks? The G.I.W. was a _fake_ government agency, why is the _real_ government not more involved in this? And, _how_ , with the near- _constant_ destruction, has _no one_ ever been seriously injured in a ghost-attack?"

"What're you getting at?" Toby asked, afraid he might already know.

"Have you looked at the Fentons' renewable-energy plans?" He asked in place of an answer, looking at that file, himself. "According to the Fentons, this stuff that they're calling 'ectoplasm' is a perfectly-viable fuel. Forget solar, wind, electricity, gas. If this information is correct, they could power an entire _house_ with a family of four, on a chunk of 'ectoplasm' the size of a _car battery_ , for _six months_. It supposedly emits nothing but a mild type of radiation, which isn't harmful to the environment or any living creatures exposed to it. And, since the 'Ghost Zone', as they call it, is entirely composed of the stuff, and these 'ghosts' are basically unlimited sources of it, harvesting 'ectoplasm' would basically be like harvesting _grass_. What if the Fentons have discovered something big?" He lowered the papers, looking at the Crew again, his expression serious. "But, what if they don't want to share it, just yet? So, they're disguising it as something that most people would consider ridiculous - Wouldn't give a second glance to, - until they can find a way to make sure _they're_ the ones who benefit from it?"

He picked up yet _another_ stack of papers, shifting the pages around, until he found the picture he was looking for. He held it up for the others.

In it, a 'ghost' girl with flaming, blue hair was floating in the sky, holding one arm. A strange, green liquid oozed between her fingers from a bad cut, as well as several smaller cuts on her body.

"What if the Fentons built these 'ghost' creatures in their lab? What if they really _are_ some kind of androids, or something? What if they're fueled by this green stuff, that's supposedly much more efficient than any other energy source on the planet, and that's why it looks like they bleed it? And, what if some of the 'ghosts' really _are_ holograms, and they designed them to look like they bleed this stuff, too? That way, they keep the appearances consistent, while giving the 'creatures' more ghost-like powers, like walking through walls and flying, while they can still be touched and proven solid at times. What if the Fentons are trying to keep everyone either too scared and/or incredulous to come here, or too scared and/or incredulous to question the stuff that's happening? Or, all of the above." The room was quiet for a moment, as they all thought it over. The big man stepped over to the large, sliding, glass doors that led onto the balcony, seeming deep in thought. Then, out of sight of the others, his eyes widened.

"...Dude... Dave... Bro," Carrie started slowly. "They're trying to _scare people off_? This isn't, like, _Scooby-Doo!_."

"...No," The Crew's leader replied seriously, pulling back the curtain, so everyone in the room could see the 'Ghost-Boy' flying by, outside the window. The 'kid' saw them and waved shyly, before being blasted in the back by the blue-haired 'ghost' from the picture. "It's _Danny Phantom_ ," He finished gravely, watching the flying 'teenager' fight off the also-flying 'young woman'.

"...Y'know," Ray started, unsure if he should even mention it. It had seemed so ridiculous at first. But, now he was beginning to rethink things. The others turned to him, and he laughed nervously. "Y'know," He repeated. "When I first woke up... I actually thought that Danny Fenton _was_ Danny Phantom?"

* * *

Dash sighed, standing in line at The Nasty Burger, for the second time that day. "What're we doing here, again?" He asked his friend.

"Dude," Kwan started, surprised at the blond's forgetfulness. "Paulina's not gonna forgive you until you grab her a salad, like you promised."

"I didn't _promise_ ," The teen half-spat. "She practically _ordered_ me to get her one, and I did what she said, 'cause... 'Cause... 'Cause, I don't know why!" He admitted, frazzled.

Kwan shrugged, then grinned. "Hey, maybe it's the G.I.W.'s machine making her angry," He suggested jokingly. His friend didn't take the bait.

"They destroyed that thing," The quarterback pointed out glumly.

"So, you've actually _seen_ the G.I.W.?" A voice asked, behind them. They turned to find a blonde-haired young woman and a tall, bald man in line behind them.

 _||What's with all the out-of-town weirdos, today?||_ The jock thought, looking up at the man suspiciously. These two gave him the same, cautious feeling he'd gotten from the others, that morning.

"Who want's to know?" He half-threatened, before Kwan could reply.

The newcomers seemed taken-aback, but pressed on, regardless. "I'm David Mathis and this is Carrie Lowe. We're here investigating the... Supernatural incidents that this town's been having," He explained, offering the boys his business card.

"'The Critical Crew'?" Kwan asked, raising an eyebrow, as he looked between the little piece of paper and the adults before him.

"But, like, spelled with 'K's, right?" Dash asked oddly, his irritability suddenly evaporating.

The others looked at him. "No," Dave said, surprised. "But, one of our teammates _wanted_ to spell it that way." Toby had argued with the others for hours about their title's spelling. He'd finally convinced Carrie, but, in the end, it was still three against two.

"We told you it was a good idea," The blonde smirked proudly.

"No, it's still stupid," Dash said, bursting the woman's bubble. "I just figured it would make it easier, since ElealehBlue could abbreviate all the titles in the series, if they all had different initials," He explained off-handedly.

"...Huh?" Dave and Kwan asked in unison, as the three stared at the blue-eyed jock.

"Uhh..." Dash droned, seeming to have just realized what he'd said. "Nothing. We gotta go," He replied quickly, grabbing his friend's arm and rushing away.

"...Okay," Carrie muttered uncertainly. "Ange and Toby were right. The people in this town _are_ majorly weird..."

Dave couldn't argue.

* * *

" _Okay_ ," Kwan began slowly, looking at his possibly-unstable friend. "And, what was _that_ about?"

"Dude," Dash panted, staring at the ground and clutching the other teen's sleeve with one hand, as though it were the only thing holding him up. "I have a _really_ bad feeling about those guys..."

* * *

Danny sat at the kitchen table, absently munching on some crackers, while checking over his homework. For possibly the first time since he'd become a superhero, he'd actually been able to not only finish all of his assignments, but study for the next day's work. And, since he'd had to quickly master multitasking, - For ghost-fighting purposes, - he even had time to check over his answers, before turning in for the night.

Then, his ghost-sense went off, and his head hit the table, with a hopeless thud.

"BEWARE!" Everyone's favorite, crate-based villain said, phasing up through the table to hover about the halfa haughtily. "FOR I AM THE BOX GHOST! AND, I SHALL TAKE CONTROL OF ALL OF YOU SQUARE, KITCHEN APPLIANCES!" He announced.

"Oi," Danny groaned. "Look, Boxy, can't we do this later. I actually managed to get all my work done, for once, and I'm kinda tired from fighting you thirty-odd times in the past three days."

"DO NOT TROUBLE ME WITH YOUR PATHETIC, HUMAN PROBLEMS! FOR, I AM THE BOX GHOST, AND YOU SHALL NEVER ESCAPE MY MIGHTY, CUBICAL VENGEANCE!" And, then the oven and the toaster sprang to life, spewing fire at the younger ghost. Danny dove out of the way, barely snagging his papers and backpack before they could be fried.

But, that didn't really matter. Because, then the dishwasher decided to sprout fangs and throw up on him, soaking all of his work completely through.

The soap-bubble-covered boy quickly emptied his bag, trying to decide how much he could possibly salvage, before realizing it was all ruined beyond repair. His head jerked upwards, and Boxy paled as the halfa growled at him, his eyes glowing menacingly.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **So, here we have our first, really good look at the Crew :) Thought I was gonna wipe Ray's memory completely, didn't ya? Because, I'm an author, and I have that power, and I like to use that kind of power for evil purposes. *Cackles maniacally, as lightning flashes ominously behind me* I hope all the conspiracy-theorizing wasn't too wordy. I had some stuff to line up for future purposes. :)**

 **And, yes, that scene in the Nasty Burger was incredibly self-indulgent. XD**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **GhostWriterGirl-1**

 **AstroGravity Phan**

 **i-do-believe-in-spooks**

 **nusyafizzul**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **Oh, and I do not own** ** _Scooby-Doo!_** **.**

 **Also, while I'm here, prayers for my Mom, please. She's been really sick the past few days and the medicine they gave her makes her feel bad.**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	6. 5: In The Heat Of The Fight

**Chapter 5:**  
 **In The Heat Of The Fight**

* * *

Sam Manson wandered down the sidewalk, daydreaming about several beautiful disasters that she wished would spontaneously befall the A-Listers of Casper High. Unfortunately, she couldn't see things like random anvils falling from planes or wombats finding themselves in the snotty kids' lockers actually happening, anytime soon. But, hey, a girl could dream, couldn't she?

As she headed towards _FentonWorks_ to meet up with her friends, she remained completely oblivious to the odd looks she was given by the town's more-sensitive people, whenever she got within ten feet of them. And, those sensitive people remained oblivious to just where those odd images that kept appearing before their minds' eyes were coming from. But, they knew it had been happening ever since Phantom had disappeared the week before.

The goth girl continued on her way fairly happily, before arriving at her destination. Then, she stepped through the front door to find Mikey Holloway clinging to a ceiling fan blade. "Uhhh," She droned, staring.

"Ready, Mike?" Danny asked, floating up while holding the end of the leash he'd somehow managed to put on Marty. He tied the strap to another of the fan's appendages, as Ellie, Valerie, and the three other boys in the room stood below, covered in feathers and watching in varying degrees of adrenaline-induced stupidity. Where Jazz was at a time like this, Sam had no idea.

"Ready!" The short geek replied, seeming way-too-excited.

"Alright, then! Fetch, Marty!" Then, before the black-loving girl could do anything to stop him, the elder halfa threw the _Fenton Tail-Chaser_ \- A device Jack Fenton had invented to tire the little ectopus out - which began circling the fan.

Only, it went in the opposite direction from the way Mikey was facing. Marty began flying after the little toy, spinning the redhead around backwards. He grew steadily faster, until the boy became a screaming blur, then went flying across the room. Sam cried out as well, but the sound died in her throat, as the geek crashed into several cushions and pillows that she suddenly realized had been strategically placed all around the _FentonWorks_ living room.

"Twenty-Eight seconds!" Lester cried happily, pressing a button on the stopwatch in his hand. "A new record!" The group cheered, as the vegan in the doorway continued to gape.

Then, she found her voice. "W-Wh-" The others turned towards the squeak, just realizing Sam was there. "What the heck are you doing?" She croaked. Every time she thought she'd seen it all, Danny managed to prove her (literally) _dead_ wrong.

Soda-Chugging contest: Transformative hiccups.

Halfa-Sneezes: Iced-Over super villains and charred carpets.

Coloring book fried by an ecto-blast: Delirious, ghostly tantrum and a smoldering library.

Five teenaged boys and two tomboys, with access to superpowers, left unsupervised for more than three minutes:

"Ceiling fan rodeo!" Several of the room's occupants replied, grinning at her, as Mikey popped up from beneath the pile of pillows at the bottom of the staircase and spit out a mouthful of feathers and stuffing.

" **That was** ** _awesome_**!" The tiny geek cried, throwing his hands in the air victoriously, more stuffing materials sticking all over him.

The goth girl facepalmed. "Where are your parents?" She asked.

"The Lab," The others chorused.

"Where's Jazz?" She added, half-glaring at them from between her fingers.

"The school called and asked her to come in early to help reorganize what's left of the library books," Ellie explained.

Sam turned her unhappy gaze upwards, towards the light fixture and the ectopus still whirling around it. "How did it not fall?"

"I used my ice powers to fix it to the ceiling _really_ tightly," Danny beamed proudly, as the others around him nodded, all of them grinning from ear-to-ear.

The girl dropped her hand from her face and blinked, somehow managing to make the entire gesture seem deadpanned. She looked at her friends, then at the fan, then at the ectopus, then at her friends again.

"...Twenty-Eight seconds, huh?" She asked. The others nodded some more, seeming hopeful. "...Okay, set Marty back up. It's my turn."

* * *

"I still can't believe you had that much trouble getting a salad," Paulina fussed, slamming her locker shut. She'd been going at it for twenty minutes by this point, and, truth be told, Dash was getting seriously sick of it.

"Y'know," He fumed, barely restraining his anger. "You _could_ just get your stinkin' salad, yourself."

The snotty girl gasped. "How _dare_ you!?" She shouted, then she gaped for a few moments, seemingly trying to find the words to express just how scandalized the very notion made her feel.

But, despite the silence from her mouth, poor Dash still couldn't escape the venom of her mind.

 _ **||What is the**_ _ **matter**_ _ **with this guy!? Doesn't he realize what he has!? He should treat me like a queen. He should be kissing my feet and**_ _ **begging**_ _ **to get me a salad.||**_

"I..." Dash started, not sure what to do. What if he was wrong? What if this wasn't what he thought it was. What if he was just hallucinating and not actually reading peoples' minds.

Paulina glared up at him.

 _ **||This had better be good, Dash Baxter.||**_

Well, that settled that, then. At least, for him. "...I..."

 _ **||Oh, look, the numbskull's going to cry. He must've realized just what he's done. Well, he's not getting any sympathy from me, until there's a salad in my hand and a dozen roses in his. On one knee. In front of the entire school. With a long, heartfelt, apology speech.||**_

Dash stared at her for a long moment, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. "I... Paulina, I'm breaking up with you."

* * *

Team Phantom strode into the school, chatting happily, ignoring the strange looks and whispers they were getting as a result of the merging of their respective cliques.

"Yeah. So, then we get home, and Jazz suddenly flies by me and out the front door, wearing one of my Mom's HAZMAT suits and riding a three-headed ghost-beaver," Danny laughed, as the others joined him and his older sister blushed.

"Danny," She half-whined/half-scolded. "It was just an experiment.

"Yeah, yeah," The boy waved her off. "You wanted to try out the ghost-hunting thing once, so you could hate it without being a hypocrite for saying that _I_ can't hate lima beans if I've never tried them." The girl pretended to fume, but couldn't hide her smirk, as the rest of the group chuckled good-naturedly.

 ***Beep-Beep-Beep***

Then, Danny's ghost-sense and Valerie's ghost-detector went off, as the hallway took on that familiar, ghostly chill. "I AM THE BOX GHOST!"

"OH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" Danny shouted, as the others groaned and facepalmed.

* * *

" _ **WHAT**_!?" Paulina screeched, as the entire hallway turned to gape at her. " _ **How DARE you**_!?"

She lit into Dash, screaming at him in rapid Spanish. That part really wasn't that unusual, though. What was unusual was how Dash was taking it.

Instead of looking like a kicked puppy, like he normally would, the jock was looking down at the bratty girl like she'd completely lost her mind. His expression was strange and hard. Almost... _Mature_. More mature than anyone in Casper High had ever seen him. And, he seemed to grow more and more confident in whatever he'd just done with every word his girlfriend spoke, regardless of whether he could understand it.

"I'm the best thing that ever happened to you, Baxter," The Latina said, switching back to English. "You _do not_ break up _with me_."

"I just did."

This oddly-calm reply _would_ have set off more screaming, multilingual cursing, and a string of gossip that could reach around the world several times over.

Had Danny phantom not suddenly skidded across the floor, coming to a stop directly between the two ex-lovebirds. "Uh, hi," He smiled up at the gaping pair shyly. Then, Box Ghost appeared around the corner. Despite the fact that he was back to his normal, amateurish self, everyone in the area fled in terror, at the very sight of him.

Everyone, that is, except for Dash and Paulina.

* * *

"Uh, guys," Phantom began.

 _ **||My Ghost-Boy! Perfect! I'm sure I can use**_ _ **him**_ _ **to make Dash jealous. That idiot will come crawling back to me and I'll make sure to turn him down in front of**_ _ **everyone**_ _ **. Plus, how could the Ghost-Boy resist my levels of beauty and charm coming from his biggest Phan? I've practically got**_ _ **both**_ _ **of them in the palm of my hand!||**_ Paulina thought, as Dash stared at her some more.

" _Guys_ ," The town-hero repeated, jumping up and creating a shield to block an ecto-blast from hitting them. "You might wanna get out of the way."

"Oh, Ghost-Boy," The girl gushed, coming up behind him and putting her arms around his shoulders, resting her head atop his. He was a lot shorter up close. "You've come to save me," She said, her smile sickeningly-sweet.

"Why would he save _you_? I thought black-hearted witches were s'posed to be the _villains_ ," Dash noted coldly.

"Uh, guys, I don't really think this is the time for-"

"Ugh! Dash Baxter, you sexist abuser! Please, Ghost-Boy, save me from my evil ex-boyfriend! He'll hurt me!" She begged, crocodile tears forming in her eyes.

 _ **||What, the heck, is she talking about?||**_

Dash paused. Were those Phantom's thoughts? Hey, and Paulina was trying to make his hero think he was a _bad guy_!

"Seriously," The ghost insisted, seemingly ignoring the Latina's protests. "You guys need to get out of here." Another blast came their way, hitting the shield. "It's not safe." Then, the Red Huntress appeared. She held out a thermos, just like the one Phantom was often seen using, and sucked the ghost in. "Or, that could work, too," The little ghost finished. "Probably should'a just done that, in the first place," He noted.

"Please, Ghost-Boy, fly me into the sunset. Take me away from here," Paulina pouted, still draped over the tiny figure. How old was he, anyways?

The Red Huntress floated before the group, actually _laughing_ at the whole situation. Dash was about to make another comment about Paulina that probably would've been even less flattering than the first, but Phantom spoke before he could.

"Uh, heh-heh. I really have to get going," He said awkwardly, drifting up off the floor and trying to pull away from the clingy teen. "Seriously," he emphasized, as the Latina drifted into the air with him. He looked to The Huntress, whose giggles grew louder, then to Dash, who shrugged. The blond wanted to help, but he wasn't about to do anything to make Paulina's abuse lie seem even remotely believable. Finally, the teenaged ghost sighed. Then, he smirked. "Fine, have it your way." And, with that, he turned intangible and flew away, as Paulina landed on her rear end in the middle of the hall.

The girl shrieked, and The Huntress' cackling could be heard across the school as she flew away. Dash did his best not to join her in laughing, as several teachers ran out of the nearby classrooms, finally brought out of their cowardice towards ghosts by the fear of one of their students being seriously injured. Dash looked at the approaching adults, swallowing his grin. And, though he wasn't sure how, he just _knew_ that Paulina was smirking on the inside.

He looked at her. Yep. Just on the inside. He couldn't hear her thoughts at that moment, - Because, apparently, it just wouldn't be right for him to be able to _control_ it, - but he knew what she was thinking.

 _||So, now she's a liar, on top of everything else,||_ The jock thought, as he looked at her. He got the feeling he'd just dodged a major bullet by breaking things off.

"Miss Sanchez, are you alright?" Mr. Lancer asked, rushing to help the young woman up.

She sniffled fakely. "Dash hit me," She whined, clinging to the man pathetically.

* * *

"Mr. Baxter!" Jonesie scolded.

The kids and librarian watching the exchange from the other end of the hall looked at each other, just as Danny and Val rejoined them. Was Paulina _really_ lying about something that serious?

And, more importantly, were they _really_ going to have to defend Dash Baxter?

"No, he didn't," Les said, stepping forward. He couldn't believe he was doing this, but what Paulina was accusing Dash of could get him put in jail. And, while none of the teens were entirely certain that wasn't where he belonged, they didn't want him sent there for something he didn't do.

"I can assure you that Paulina is lying," Jazz said confidently, in that I'm-totally-an-adult way, of hers.

"Yeah, we were all standing right here," Sam added, hands on her hips.

"She's just being a whiny brat, like always," Valerie continued.

"What do you know?" Paulina retorted, glaring at the group.

The teachers turned to each other, silently asking the same question. "Miss Sanchez, this is a very serious accusation. Are you certain that's what happened?" Mr. Lancer began cautiously.

"I'm certain," She nodded solemnly. "I thought he loved me," She cried, burying her head in the man's shoulder.

"Oh, dear," Lancer started. "Well, we'll have to look into it. But, if this is true, then I suppose the school will have to take some serious actions against you, Mr. Baxter." They all turned to the blond, who was as white as a sheet.

"Wh- What?" He stammered. "But, I didn't do anything. She's just mad, because I broke up with her," He defended.

"He's lying. Everyone in the school knows that Dash is a bully. I just thought I could be a good influence on him," The spoiled girl bawled.

The balding teacher opened his mouth to say something else, before Mikey cleared his throat. Thankfully, the adults didn't seem to notice Tucker and Clark working frantically on their PDA and laptop, directly behind the short redhead. "Would any of you like to see the video we got of the incident?" He asked calmly.

"You have video?" Lancer asked, as Paulina paled and Dash stared at Mikey, wide-eyed.

"Yes, we do," Les replied. It was an all-out lie, but they were hoping to rectify that, very soon.

"Then, yes, we would like to see it," Jonesie replied. The kids looked at each other nervously, before Tucker and Clark stepped forward.

"Here, ya go," The taller of the two said, as the shorter held out his computer.

On the screen, the camera seemed to be flying around. It swooped down the hall, before finding Danny Phantom and The Box Ghost, everything playing out just as it had, only minutes before, though silent this time.

Phantom trying to protect the two teens from the fight. Words being exchanged. Paulina clinging to Phantom. More words. Phantom fleeing from Paulina. Paulina landing on the floor.

The teachers turned to glare at the girl. "Miss Sanchez, did you _really_ just falsely accuse someone of violence? Someone whom you claim to be your _friend_?" The heiress paled even more at Mr. Lancer's tone. "Do you have any idea how morally-corrupt and serious this is?"

"But- But-" She stammered.

"No 'but's, young lady," Jonesie chided, grabbing her hand, and pulling her towards the principal's office. "I think we're going to have to have a serious talk with your parents, about this."

Dash seemed to be feeling a mixture of relief and shock, as Mr. Lancer paused in following the other teacher and turned to the eight other teens. "Mr. Reuben, I'm going to need a copy of that video, if you don't mind."

"Sure," The green-eyed geek replied. "I'll email it to you."

"My usual email address. And, send a copy to Principal Ishiyama, as well, please. How did you get that footage, anyways?" Then, his expression turned horrified. "You weren't in the hall during the attack, were you?"

The group glanced at each other, giving a chorus of negatives. "I brought this drone," Mikey started, pulling the little toy from his backpack. Thankfully, he'd forgotten to take it out Wednesday. "We attached a camera to it, to try and get video of Phantom. We were just testing it out when the fight happened. I guess it worked," He chuckled nervously. The video was actually footage from Valerie's suit that Tuck and Clark had managed to transfer over to the computer, but Mr. Lancer didn't need to know that. "We were down the hall when it happened, though. So, we weren't in any danger." They were not down the hall, but it was Boxy and he was back to normal, so they really weren't in danger. No more than usual, anyways.

The teacher nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Speaking of which," He said, turning to Dash. "Why were you there, Mr. Baxter?"

"Uhhh... I was trying to convince Paulina to leave Phantom alone?" It came out as more of a question than an answer, but the teacher took it, anyways. He walked away, and Dash awkwardly approached the odd group. "Uhhh. Thanks," He said, suddenly finding his shoes very interesting.

"Uh. No prob." Danny replied, as the others mumbled similar things. Then, the jock was gone, and the bell was ringing.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Angela deadpanned, looking at herself and her brother in the full-length mirror.

"Sure, I'm sure," Her brother said, adjusting his wig. Their new disguises looked admittedly ridiculous. But, judging by the way things seemed to work in this town, the young man had decided that that was the best way to blend in amongst Amity-Parkers. The others had informed the siblings that one of the kids at _FentonWorks_ the day before had seen their show. So, if they were going to remain undercover, they couldn't go around looking like they normally did. And, they couldn't wear their old disguises, because the kids might've seen them on the show before, too.

Though, whose idea it was to let _Toby_ pick the new costume pieces was beyond Angie.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Oooh! Dash! What've you done! You're not supposed to be aware enough to realize how vicious Paulie is! XP Way to act like a real man, for once, Blondie! XD**

 **Okay, so I know that this doesn't seem like it's going to have much to do with the main plot... But, it totally is, in a twisted sort of way *Evil grin* By the way, anybody figure it out yet, or am I being too vague?**

 **Ceiling fan rodeo is something which I really,** ** _really_** **wish I could take part in. So, my fellow Phandomers, if any of you should happen to find a halfa and a truckload of pillows, please let me know, and maybe we can arrange some sort of Phandom-wide rodeo-party XD**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **coolosus1**

 **GhostWriterGirl-1**

 **Specter14**

 **AstroGravity Phan**

 **speedyowl152**

 **FrancisTTM**

 **Zaeta Ketchum**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **Oh, and the scene with the three-headed, ghost-beaver is real. Season 1, episode 16, '** ** _Maternal Instinct_** **', near the end, for anyone who wants to check it out.**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	7. 6: The Playful Spies

**Chapter 6:**  
 **The Playful Spies**

* * *

"Later, Skulky~!" Ellie sang happily, as her sparring partner headed home after his devastating defeat, vowing that there would be another rematch in the near future. Albeit, he vowed it surprisingly good-naturedly.

"We do battle again, tomorrow!" He announced.

"Sure!" She smiled.

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" She assured, as her mechanical buddy disappeared.

The girl floated back towards home slowly, enjoying the fresh air. After the little mall outing she'd had with Sam, Jazz, and her Mom, the latter two had decided it would be best if her human half stayed hidden until they'd had a chance to discus her, - Ehem, - _situation_ with Mikey's Dad. She still wasn't sure how she felt about that. But, Danny's time-travely friend had said that the man could be trusted, and Danny trusted him, and she trusted Danny, so she would take the chance. Now, they were just waiting on the General to get a free moment to talk, since he was busy working through everything Vlad and the G.I.W. had messed up.

It could take a while...

But, she could still hang around town in her ghost form. And, it was a lot safer for her this time, since all of Amity's ghost-hunters were now either dead, in jail, or on her side.

The green-eyed, little girl drifted around, gazing down at the city that would be her new home. She might be stuck in ghost-form, but at least she wasn't stuck behind a desk on such a pretty day, like the others. That was a plus.

She debated flying over to the school to make faces at her big brother and sister and their friends through the windows, but stopped when she spotted a young woman with blue hair. And, it _wasn't_ Ember McClain. It wasn't even that Carson girl that Mikey kept bringing up, that made Clark giggle and Lester blush.

Curious, the little ghost nearly floated down just to say 'hi'. But, then someone else joined the woman on the ground. A guy wearing a bright, white wig. He looked like he was headed for a Danny Phantom look-a-like contest.

Y'know, except for the fact that he was wearing purple overalls, fancy dress shoes, and had a (hopefully temporary) tattoo of a vomiting snake on his face. He grinned cheekily at the woman, saying something that he apparently thought was funny.

Then, the woman slapped him upside the head.

"Ow! Angie!" He shouted, quickly attempting to right the now-lopsided wig, as the woman - Angie, - shushed him. Ellie turned invisible, floating down to listen in. Wasn't 'Angela' the name of one of those undercover Crew people?

"Toby, we're undercover, remember?" The woman scolded, her puffy, blue, musical-note-studded dress bouncing with every motion.

Well. That settled that question. So, these were the weirdos from _The Nasty Burger_. Ellie had to admit, she never would have recognized them. Their disguises might have attracted a lot of attention, but they certainly looked nothing like their pictures. She floated down even closer, lounging in the air casually next to the pair, her chin propped in her hands.

"I know that," The man continued, still rubbing the sore spot on his head. "I'm just teasing. Good grief," He grumbled. "It's not my fault you look like one of the _Tap-A-Capella Singers_ swallowed a _Smurf_ ," He muttered, his grin returning.

Angie hit him, again. "Actually, it _is_ your fault. You're never picking the costumes, again. And, where did you even _get_ that awful tattoo?"

"Just wait 'till the end of this case, when you realize these are the greatest disguises we've ever had," He argued, folding his arms and smirking conceitedly. "And, you like it? Got it out of an egg machine, down the street. Best fifty cents I ever spent."

"It's one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen," She deadpanned. "And, I saw that moldy sandwich you kept under your bed all through high school." She shuddered. "Pretty sure that thing used to come to life, at night."

Toby looked thoughtful a moment, then nodded. "Yeah... It might've... Pretty sure I heard it growl, once," He added, before hooking his fingers like claws and leaning in towards his sister, mimicking monster noises. She yanked his wig down over his eyes. "Man," He grumbled, as he worked the stupid thing back into place, again. "I haven't seen you this grumpy since you got stuck in that secret, underground, hamster-fighting ring, in Massachusetts."

Ellie watched, as the siblings continued their hushed argument, covering her mouth to hide her giggles and silently deciding to look that hamster episode up later. These two were gonna be fun to spy on.

* * *

"Dude," Kwan breathed. "You did what?"

"I broke up with her." Dash replied, leaning back against his locker, staring at the ceiling. He looked like he couldn't decide if he was upset or proud of himself.

"But... She's gonna kill you..." The dark-haired jock noted. Dash nodded. "And, I'm your best friend. She's gonna kill me, by association." Dash nodded, again. "Bro, _why_?"

The blond looked at him for a long moment, first fearfully, but slowly seeming to grow more confident. Then, he looked around, before grabbing Kwan's arm and dragging him into a nearby janitor's closet.

"Dude, isn't this what the Trio does all the time?" The confused teen asked, as the two did their best to fit into the small space while still being able to breathe.

Dash looked at him, again. "...Maybe." Then, he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Do you remember when I got hit by that ray-thing, the other day?"

"Yeah..." Kwan replied uncertainly.

"So, ever since then, I've been, like... _Hearing stuff_."

The other's eyes widened. "You mean... You're going crazy!?"

"No, I mean -"

"Look, Bro, if the voices tell you to kill me, _DON'T_ _LISTEN_!"

"Kwan!" Dash said, grabbing his frantic friend's shoulders.

"Oh, no! It's starting! **_SOMEBODY HEL_** \- "

Dash slapped his hand over the whimpering jock's mouth. "Kwan. I'm not hearing _voices_." The dark-haired boy relaxed slightly and Dash removed his hand. "Not like _that_ , at least." The blond started fidgeting uncharacteristically. "I think I'm... Reading peoples' minds..."

* * *

"So, you really think these bugs your parents are building will be able to detect who else was hit with the G.I.W.'s ray?" Mikey asked, as the eight teens headed for their next class.

"I guess so," Danny replied uncertainly. "At least, I hope they do. But, more often than not, my parents' inventions tend to do the opposite of what they're supposed to. Except for when they're doing _exactly_ what they're supposed to, but doing it a little too well."

"Like, giving you a ghost-cold?" Val suggested, smirking.

"Or, sucking you into oddly-shaped containment devices," Tucker supplied, cheekily.

"Or, hitting you in the head with mechanical boomerangs?" Jazz added, grinning innocently.

"Or, separating your human and ghost halves and splitting your personality in two?" Sam piped in.

"Yeah," Danny replied, feigning grumpiness and trying to hide his own smile. "Like that."

The kids continued talking, stopping at each of their respective lockers. Finally, as they stopped at Valerie's, Danny glanced around. He thought he'd heard something, but after a moment he shrugged it off. Then, he heard it again. While the others watched Mike, Les, and Clark drool, as Tucker explained some kind of ghost tech to them, the halfa strayed a short ways down the hall, towards where he thought the sound had come from.

* * *

Dash looked at the group heading their direction, then hid around the corner. Kwan looked at him a moment, then at the group, before yelping as he was yanked back by his friend. "Dude, what the hec-"

"It's the Nerd Herd."

"Yeah. So, what?"

Dash gave him that 'I'm carrying a bombshell' look, again. "It kinda gets worse whenever I get near Manson."

"What gets worse?"

"The mind-reading, man!" He whisper-shouted.

"What, you mean, like, she makes it stronger?" He gasped. "Maybe Paulina was right! Maybe Sam really _is_ a witch!" The two looked at each other, then peeked around the corner at the large group, who were standing by Gray's locker as she got her stuff.

The quarterback shook his head. "I dunno. I just know that, when she's around, it goes from _hearing_ thoughts to _seeing_ them."

"Huh. So, that's why you've been avoiding Danny. I thought it was because we're afraid of Valerie," Kwan noted. "Wait," He said, the gravity of what Dash had just said finally sinking in. "So, like, you see pictures in your head, that aren't your thoughts?" The blond nodded pathetically. His friend thought about it a moment. "Hey, did you see a picture of Star and Paulina in jail, during detention the other day?" Dash stared at him, again. "Dash?"

Then, the quarterback grabbed him by the shoulders, slamming him against the lockers. "You saw that, too!?" He whisper-screamed, a wild look in his eyes. Kwan got the sense that this was getting to him.

"Uh, you guys okay?" Then, Danny Fenton was standing right next to them.

And, then Kwan was alone, and Dash was running down the hall, screaming.

The two stared after the blond for a moment, confused. "What was that about?" Danny asked, turning to the other jock. Kwan blinked, trying to come up with some excuse.

Then, Sam was there. "Danny? What're you doing?" Then, Kwan stared at _her_.

"I was -" The blue-eyed boy began.

"Uh... Heh, heh..." Kwan chuckled nervously, as the other two paused to stare at him.

And, then he followed after Dash.

* * *

"No way!" Toby whisper-shouted happily, picking up one of the comics from the store's rack. "I can't believe they have a first-edition _Crimson Chin_! And, it's only ten dollars! Carrie's gonna be so jealous!"

"Toby, that's not what we're here for," Angela half-scolded, still keeping her ears peeled for any idle chatter that sounded promising. Then, she noticed the cover of the comic her brother was holding. "Oh, that thing? I've seen, like, twelve of those. If it's that good, why not just grab two? One for you and one for Carrie's birthday."

Toby's eyes widened. "You saw more of them?" He asked, his voice hoarse and crackling. Then, he grabbed her by the shoulders. "Angie, do you have any idea how rare these are?" He added, still keeping his voice low. He glanced around, hoping no one else had noticed the value of what was there. "Cover for me in the spy mission. I'm going on a treasure hunt." He mock-declared quietly, before rushing off to look for more paper gold.

"Toby," His sister called, but it was too late. She sighed, going back to her work, pretending to look over the story in her hands of a hero dressed in white and blue with a big chin and little, golden wings in his ears.

Then, she heard a disembodied giggle echo from somewhere, followed by a gasp, as a chill ran down her spine. She and the other people in the store looked around. The redhead didn't fail to notice how nervous the Amity Park-ers seemed, but her brother remained oblivious. As usual.

"Toby," She repeated, more guardedly this time. "Did you hear that."

"Can't talk. Comic-Booking," He replied, pulling out something else that was apparently rare, judging by the look on his face. Then, another giggle sounded, and suddenly the colorful papers slipped from his fingers and floated in the air above him. "What the -" He began, as the people in the building quickly began to scream and panic. Soon enough, the siblings were the only two left. At least, on the visible spectrum. "Hey!" The young man shouted, jumping for the floating object, completely undeterred by the fact that it really shouldn't be floating. "Gimme that!" He hopped up and down a few times, as the comic rose and fell, remaining just out of his reach. More giggling. It sounded like there were two of them, now.

"No way! I wanna read it!" A child's voice replied.

Toby didn't miss a beat. "I saw it first!"

"Nuh-Uh!"

"Yuh-Huh!"

"Nuh-Uh!"

"Yuh-Huh!"

"Nuh-Uh!"

"Yuh-Huh!"

"Toby, I don't think this is the time," Angela noted.

"He started it!" Her brother defended, pointing to the stolen comic.

"Did not!" The voice shouted.

"Did, too!" Toby shouted back.

"Are you some of the ghosts?" Angela half-demanded. She wasn't usually the assertive type, but this disguise was really getting on her last nerve, and the invisible voice's obnoxious tone wasn't helping. "Show yourselves!"

The second voice giggled again. "Show yourselves, she says!" The child mocked. "Get a load of this one!" As if in reply, the first voice joined in.

* * *

Ellie floated in the comic book store, watching the undercover siblings and quietly laughing at their antics. But, she just couldn't hold back a chuckle when Toby got all sparkly-eyed at some comic and declared he was officially ditching the spy job in favor of a treasure hunt. Of course, that got everyone's attention, and suddenly all the humans were looking around for where the attack would come from. Well, except for Toby, who still had his head in a bargain bin.

Then, the little halfa gasped and a wisp of blue curled out of her mouth, before a green-skinned ghost in a cowboy costume flew in, who looked to be about a year or two younger than her.

Ellie couldn't help but giggle, as Toby pulled out another book. The look in his eyes was just too hilarious, especially since his wig was now askew from his search. The new guy must've agreed with her, because he laughed as well. Then, as if on instinct, he flew down, snatching the comic out of Toby's hands. He held it above the man, teasing him with it and chuckling when he hopped up and down, his wig was bouncing with him. The little ghost-girl couldn't hold back her laughter, as the new ghost chuckled with her.

"Gimme that!" Toby shouted.

"No way! I wanna read it!" The boy argued.

"I saw it first!"

"Nuh-Uh!"

"Yuh-Huh!"

"Nuh-Uh!"

"Yuh-Huh!"

"Nuh-Uh!"

"Yuh-Huh!"

"Toby, I don't think this is the time!" Angela pointed out. Ellie kinda felt sorry for her. It didn't look like either of the boys was done, yet.

"He started it!"

"Did not!"

"Did, too!"

"Are you some of the ghosts?" Angie asked. Finally, she was catching on. Which should be fine, as long as she didn't know Ellie was there. "Show yourselves!"

"Show yourselves, she says!" The new guy laughed, turning to the other ghost in the room. "Get a load of this one!" Ellie laughed along with him, though she didn't know why it was supposed to be funny. "Name's Youngblood," The boy introduced, half to her and half to the humans. "Comes from the fact that only kids and childish adults can see me."

Angie turned to her brother pointedly. "Can you see him?" The man-child nodded. " _Of course_ ," The woman muttered under her breath, face-palming. Then, she glared up at the very-talkative, empty space above them. "So, you _are_ ghosts," she deduced.

"Yyyyyep," Youngblood dragged out, nodding proudly and folding his arms.

"Ghost-Shmost! You're gonna be dead twice-over, if you don't gimme that comic!" Toby shouted, jumping again. Suddenly, a skeletal horse-thing appeared behind the young man and the green boy pushed him backwards, causing him to trip and fall into one of the shelves. Youngblood laughed some more.

"Hey," Ellie started, floating over and propping her fists on her hips. "That wasn't very nice."

"Chill out, new girl," He said, then paused, turning to the horse. "Wait, how do you say that in cowboy?"

"I believe it would be, 'Calm down, there, Little Lady'," The skeleton replied, his voice holding all he patience of someone who _really_ wanted to strangle someone, but had given up on that dream long ago.

"Right," The boy said, turning back to Ellie. "Calm down, there, Little Lady. I reckon I was just havin' a little fun 'round here," He continued, as Angie helped her brother up.

"Well, _I_ don't think that was very funny," The little halfa replied, gesturing to the siblings.

"Oh, yeah? Well, that figures, 'cause you don't look like too much fun, anyhow," He retorted.

"Hey! I'm plenty fun!"

"Are not!"

"Am, too!"

"Are not!"

"Am, too!"

"How's about we settle this the ol' fashioned way? With a shoot out in the streets," The boy proposed.

Ellie considered it, then smirked. "You're on, Cow-Patty-For-Brains."

Youngblood smirked back. "Fine, then, Horse-Breath."

And, with that, the two invisible children flew out the front window, the white-haired girl completely forgetting about her spy-work, for the moment. For the first time in a while, she had somebody her own age to play with.

* * *

Toby and Angela listened to the 'ghosts' go back and forth for a few moments, before the skeletal horse disappeared, and the strange chill left the store. A few seconds later, green blasts began going off outside the building.

Then, they spent another hour watching the light-show, while Toby giggled like a schoolboy at the insults the ghost-kids threw at each other.

* * *

"Okay," Jazz said into her phone. "See you in a few." She hung up, putting the little device back into her pocket. "Mom and Dad finished building their bug-things and are on their way," She announced.

"Now?" Tucker asked. "But, it's the middle of the day."

The redheaded, young woman shrugged. "That's what I said, but we need to know what to look for, just in case. So, Mom says we're just gonna have to be stealthy about setting them up."

"Cool!" Clark suddenly shouted. "Spy mission time!"

The others looked at him a moment, before Danny smirked. "Actually... He's kinda right."

* * *

"So, these guys are trying to figure out whether or not the ghosts are real?" Youngblood asked, as he and Ellie sat on the ledge of an apartment building, watching Toby and Angela spy on a hotdog vendor down below. After their battle, they'd finally been able to stop all the witty banter long enough to actually _talk_ to each other.

"Yep," The girl replied. Back on the ground, Angela tripped over a crate in an alleyway and fell headfirst into a trashcan, as her brother and the two kids busted out laughing.

"And, they sent _these two_?" The boy emphasized, amusedly.

"Apparently," Ellie chuckled. She didn't understand why they'd picked the siblings, either, but she was glad that they had.

"But, why does it matter? So, what, if they find out ghosts are real?"

"Oh, I don't care about that," Ellie clarified. "We just wanna make sure they don't find out about me and Danny being halfas."

"Ohhhh," The boy droned, nodding in understanding. "I get it. So," He began, floating up slightly above the concrete barrier they were sitting on. Then, with a 'pop', his costume changed to that of a secret-agent-y tuxedo. "We drop the cowboys thing and play super-spies?"

"Sure," The girl grinned.

"The name's Blood," He said, tugging on his lapels haughtily. " _Young_ blood." Then, he snapped his fingers and her own suit changed.

To a sparkly, purple evening gown.

She sent him a deadpanned glare. "I don't think so."

"Fine," He mock-huffed, not even trying to hide his smirk. "How 'bout this, then?" He asked, changing her costume once again.

She paused, looking herself up and down. "...Not bad..."

* * *

 **AN: Sometimes, I'm Angela. Sometimes, I'm Toby...**

 **Hey, everybody! :)**

 ***Rubs hands together, thoughtfully* So, Dash is the other one who got hit. *Smirks* How many of you guys guessed it? :) Or, was it harder to figure out than I thought? It always seems obvious, when you already know the answer...**

 **Virtual cookie for anyone who can guess what comic Angie was holding! :))**

 **Also, while I think the Danielle/Youngblood pairing is absolutely** ** _adorable_** **, that is not going to happen here. They're just gonna be friends and partners-in-mischief. XD**

 **And, the MLP (which I do not own) reference is for my friend, Unprofessional Writer (whose screenname is completely misleading, because their writing is awesome! Seriously, check it out!) :)**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **GhostWriterGirl-1**

 **Unprofessional Writer**

 **speedyowl152**

 **Moore98Luke**

 **Bilo0618**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **I do not own** ** _The Smurfs_** **, the** ** _Tap-A-Capella Singers_** **, or** ** _The Crimson Chin_** **. (Not sure who owns the first, but** ** _Wee Sing_** **owns the second, and Butch Hartman owns the third.)**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	8. 7: Body Of Spies

**Chapter 7:**  
 **Body Of Spies**

* * *

"Okay," Carrie began, looking at her phone. "So, according to what Toby and Angie have found, most of the 'ghost attacks' happen around the highschool. I say we head over there."

Dave shook his head. "We'd need special permission to film on school grounds. I'll call and ask, but we should focus on another area until we get the go-ahead."

"How 'bout the abandoned mansion?" She suggested. "Apparently, it's been haunted since before the serious stuff started."

"We'd need special permission for that, too. Especially if we don't wanna go to jail for trespassing," Ray groaned, stretching. He was still sore from his 'chat' with Mrs. Fenton.

The blonde huffed. "Okay, then. Let's go to the park. Seems to be the third most-haunted place in town, and is completely publicly-accessible."

"Sounds good," Dave agreed, ignoring her tone.

"Just so long as I never have to come within twenty feet of another Fenton, again," Ray added, as the three grabbed their things.

* * *

"We clear, Clark?" Danny asked quietly, as he and the slightly-taller teen crouched around a corner, five minutes before class let out for lunch. Clark looked up and down the hallway, before giving him the thumbs up, signaling that the surrounding area was empty.

The ghost-boy quickly turned invisible, floating up to the ceiling tiles. He held the little do-dad in his hand upside down, and tiny, spider-like legs popped out from it's sides, digging into the plaster. Then, Danny landed again, regaining visibility. But, the tiny robot did not. Instead, it remained unseen, just as his parents had designed it to.

The halfa reached up to the button on one of his _Fenton Phones_ , before Clark stopped him. "Can I do this one?" He half-begged.

"Sure," The other smiled.

Clark pressed the button on his own pair of the green and silver communication devices, which, by order of the Fenton parents, were now a mandatory accessory for all members of Team Phantom. Not that they minded. It just made this even more like a spy movie.

"West end of the school is covered," The green-eyed geek reported proudly, feeling every bit like a real-life, secret agent.

"Good job, boys," Maddie's voice came through the speakers, as Danny listened in with his super-hearing. "Rendezvous back with the others, in five."

"Aye, aye," the teens replied in unison, mock saluting the non-present woman.

* * *

Tucker reached into his bag, pulling out another spy-bug thing, and tossing it to Mikey, who quickly attached it to his drone. The boy with the red berret looked up and down the intersection of corridors before giving his friend the all-clear. Mike expertly maneuvered the little toy up over their heads, where the Fentons' device readily attached itself.

The two tech-loving boys grinned at each other and high-fived, before Tuck brought a finger to his ear. "All done here, Mrs. F."

* * *

Val and Les ran up and down the hallways in their section of the school, each of them carrying a bag full of the Fentons' little devices.

Val hurried around, her soldier-like mind quickly scanning each area. Then, as she came to an intersection, she jumped up, easily kicking off of the lockers to get more air and sticking a little machine to the white material overhead.

Meanwhile, Lester huffed as he ran, pausing and supporting himself against the walls as he peeked carefully around each corner. Then, the tall teen walked silently to the middle of the crossways and reached up, attaching his own Fenton do-dads to the ceiling, his feet never having to leave the ground.

Soon enough, the two met back where they had started, smiling at each other as the taller puffed and the shorter stood tall, not winded in the least. Lester was so jealous.

Val looked at the redhead. "You get all yours placed?" The male nodded breathlessly. She nodded back and activated her _Fenton Phones_. "We ran outta bugs here. Anybody else need help?"

"You might give Jazz and Sam a hand. Its taking them quite a while," Mrs. Fenton replied. The green-eyed huntress thought she heard Marty gurgling in the background. He probably wanted to play.

"'kay. On our way," She grinned, taking off. Les hurried along behind her, still trying to catch his breath but not wanting to miss anything.

* * *

Sam stood by, feigning calm patience as she did her best not to laugh out loud. Meanwhile, Jazz attempted, for the fifteenth time, to copy the younger girl's actions.

She ran towards a row of lockers, jumping at the last second, before using her foot to push herself up higher, grabbing hold of the top of the metal boxes to pull herself up. She nearly slipped several times, before finally managing to pull herself up on top of them.

"Hah!" She shouted triumphantly. It wasn't stealthy, by any means. But, it _was_ entertaining. "Told ya I could do it," She gloated, pointing to the smirking goth girl.

"You still haven't attached the bug, yet," Sam reminded her amusedly, and the librarian's smile faltered. She looked at the center ceiling tile, a few feet of open air away, then at the spot where she was crouching. She glanced around slowly, a terrible truth dawning on her.

"Here ya go," Sam suddenly called, tossing her one of the little devices. The redhead caught it. Barely.

She glared down at her violet-eyed friend, who stood on the ground, holding her bag full of spy-bugs. "You could've told me _before_ I got up here."

"But, the last time I said something, you told me I was distracting you," The goth pointed out, smirking.

Jazz fumed a moment, grumbling under her breath. She looked at the center of the hallway again uncertainly, before leaning out with one arm stretched forward to try and attach her little gizmo.

"...What's Jazz doing?" Val asked, raising an eyebrow, as she walked up next to Sam. Seconds later, Lester joined them, obviously wondering the same thing.

"Trying to prove she's just as capable as me, even though she's never practiced anything like this before."

The green-eyed girl nodded in understanding. "How long's she been at it?"

The goth checked her watch. "Twenty-Five minutes," She replied, refolding her arms, the smirk never leaving her lips.

Jazz growled, hanging half-way over the edge of the locker-tops. "Will you guys be quiet? I'm trying to concentrate, here." The girls on the ground continued to grin, as Les leaned on his knees just behind them, desperately trying to catch his breath.

"BEWARE!" Box Ghost suddenly shouted, popping out of the wall behind the female redhead. Jazz screamed in reply, toppling off the metal structure, as Sam and Val quickly recaptured the insufferable creature.

Though, this time, they weren't too mad at him. This meant Jazz had to start over, again.

* * *

Dash and Kwan crouched behind a row of lockers in one of Casper High's many hallways, watching the elder Fenton sibling crash and burn for the umpteenth time.

Kwan had seen the Nerd Herd and the tallest geek getting permission to leave class and had eagerly followed them. He'd lost track of the group at first, but had managed to find the goth and the redheaded Fenton, before calling his best friend to meet up with him. Not that it had gotten them anywhere, since all they'd done so far was watch Sam laugh at Jazz, as the weird librarian tried to climb up on top of the lockers.

"Dude," Kwan began quietly. "What are they doing?"

"I dunno," The blond replied, before his expression took on an altogether, more serious tone. "But, I'm gonna find out."

And, before Kwan could stop him, Dash was creeping down the hall, inching his way closer to Manson. The dark-haired jock didn't know whether to laugh or to cry, as his buddy put his fingers to his temples and made a determined face, seemingly trying to read the girl's thoughts.

This went on for a few minutes, with Dash making a few faces that his friend would be secretly laughing at for a long while. Then, they heard someone else approaching and quickly retreated back behind the lockers.

"...What's Jazz doing?" Valerie asked, as she and the tallest geek joined the goth. The jocks perked up, listening.

"Trying to prove she's just as capable as me, even though she's never practiced anything like this before." Oh. Was that all? Lame.

"How long's she been at it?"

"Twenty-Five minutes." Dash and Kwan looked at each other. That was pathetic. They could get on top of the lockers in seconds.

"Will you guys be quiet? I'm trying to concentrate, here."

"BEWARE!" The footballers jumped, but miraculously held back their screams, as The Box Ghost suddenly appeared, and the redhead fell on the tile floor.

Kwan started to run away, but Dash stopped him, grabbing his shoulder. The two boys watched in amazement as the others, instead of getting out of there, like sane people, actually _captured_ the ghost.

In a green and silver thing, just like the one Phantom used.

They didn't even look _scared_ , just kind of _annoyed_.

And, Manson and Gray looked more _amused_ , than anything.

What was going on, here?

* * *

"I can't believe you just _stood there_ , that _entire time_ with a _genuine_ _ **Crash**_ _ **Nebula**_ in your hands!" Toby ranted. "And, you didn't even tell me!" He sounded hurt.

"I don't know anything about comic books," The young woman defended. "How was I supposed to know it was rare?"

"And, then you just _left it there_ ," Her brother continued, seemingly ignoring her. "I feel so betrayed," He mock-wept, tipping his head back and covering his eyes with his forearm.

Behind them, Ellie and Youngblood crouched around the corner, trying to hide their giggles at the young man's antics. After they'd gotten into character, with the boy in his _James Bond_ outfit and the girl sporting a _Lara Croft_ costume, (complete with ecto-squirt-guns,) just _flying_ around behind the two adults had become unbearably boring. So, they'd opted for sneaking around on the ground, and, no longer invisible, making a game out of going unnoticed.

"Toby, I said I was sorry," Angela deadpanned, seeming more annoyed than apologetic. But, then, this _was_ the eighth time they'd been over this. "We'll go back to the comic book store later, when the man at the checkout counter comes back from cowering in fear. And, _I'll_ pay for the stupid thing. Can we, _please_ , let it die, now?"

Her brother made a show of thinking it over, tapping his chin with a finger. "Will you buy me another egg machine tattoo?" He bartered, since his vomiting snake had somehow lost its head while they were watching the ghost-kids having their 'pretend' shootout. Said kids looked at each other, wondering what this one would be.

"Fine. Whatever," The woman groaned, and the ghosts tried not to giggle too loudly at her expression. "But, I reserve the right to not be seen with you, afterwards."

"Deal," Toby brightened, grinning.

Angie paused, something seeming to have occurred to her. She stopped walking, her expression serious, as she turned to point a finger at him. "And, you can't put it on your eyelids, so it shows when you blink."

"Awwww," Toby groaned. Youngblood held his sides, as he fell over onto the sidewalk, completely visible to all, laughing so hard no sound came out. Thankfully, though, the siblings were walking in the other direction.

"Oh, man, that's _genius_ ," The green kid squeaked, as Ellie grabbed her new friend's collar and dragged him along, so they wouldn't lose their targets.

Angie groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I can't believe I ever found the need to say those words," She mumbled, as the people nearby continued to give the pair and their 'secret' tails strange looks, and the two unnoticed children continued to enjoy the entire situation far too much.

* * *

"Here's your salad, Paulina," Trent Corbin said, walking up to the A-Listers' lunch table, grinning obsequiously. It was obvious he was trying to take Dash's place, but he would have to do more than just fetch lunch for that.

"Thank you, Trent," The snotty girl smiled, patting him on the head almost-condescendingly. He almost snarled at her, but hid it as he set the food down. "You see? Fifteen minutes. Now, why do some people find that so difficult?" Paulina continued. The others around her nervously agreed, not wanting to get on her bad side when she was in one of these moods.

Well, except Star. "Why was it such a big deal, in the first place?" She wondered. "I think the school's salads are better, anyhow."

Her friend did not look happy. "The 'big deal' is that I asked him to, and he said that he would, and then he didn't." She took an a pitiful expression. "And, if I can't trust him for something that small, how can I trust him for anything?"

"You accused him of physical abuse," The blonde deadpanned.

Paulina looked hurt. "I was scared," She defended. "He's a lot bigger than I am. I didn't know what he was going to do." Her expression remained that of the victim, but seemed almost sly, in a way. "It's not like he's not known for his bullying." All of this being exactly what she'd told the teachers, when she'd been brought to the principal's office. Ishiyama had bought it, hook, line, and sinker. As had the other teachers, since they'd already known about the blond jock's behavior but hadn't been able to do anything about it.

The principal had not been happy about the blatant favoritism, - Or, the fact that it had been noticed, when it was supposed to be kept relatively quiet, - but assured the Latina that it would have to end. But, that promise had been made before. The students all knew they wouldn't actually do anything. (Well, aside from talking to everyone about how bullying is wrong. There would probably be an assembly with a puppet show, sometime that week.)

Paulina smirked viciously, watching her ex-boyfriend from across the room.

Wait, he was watching someone, too. And, it wasn't her.

 _||He should be staring at me pleadingly, longing to be allowed back into the group.||_ But, instead, he and Kwan were looking at the table the Nerd Herd and The Geek Squad were sharing.

 _||What gives? What's so interesting about them?||_

True, she'd already been spying on them, herself, the week before. But, that was just to figure out whether or not Valerie had joined the Herd. She and Star had watched for maybe an hour and had quickly dubbed her to be one of them. Then, they had moved on.

So, why did those losers still have Dash's attention?

* * *

A certain pair of footballers made their way to the cafeteria, creeping along behind the Nerd Herd. At first, Dash had considered sitting with the A-Listers, - Hey, he _was_ still a member, even if Paulina was mad at him, - but, then he got a look at his ex's expression and decided against it.

He trudged off towards an empty table at the back. Whatever. He would rather figure out what was going on with the Nerds, anyhow. He didn't care.

Really.

Then, another tray clicked down next to him, and he looked up. "Kwan? What're you doing here?"

"Dude," His buddy smiled. "I'm not gonna sit with _them_. I mean, yeah, I would rather. But," He punched him in the shoulder playfully. "Not without you, Bro."

Dash smiled back at him gratefully. "Thanks, man."

"No prob." Kwan picked up his sandwich. "Besides, Paulie's got it out for me, too, since I'm on your side. And, if Paulina's against you, everyone is." He chuckled. "We'd be safer in the Ghost Zone, right now."

The blond nodded sadly, "Yeah." Then, he paused, his brows scrunching together. " _Yeah_ ," He repeated. "Why is that? Who made _her_ queen of the school? Why does anyone even like her? We've been here three minutes, and this is already the least-insulting lunch I've had, since sixth grade."

Kwan held a hand up, taking a moment to swallow. "Dude, one mystery at a time." Then, he pointed across the room. "Check it out. We've got a great view of the Nerds, and I really wanna know what those things they stuck to the ceiling were."

His friend nodded. He was right. They would find out what was going on with Fenton and his friends, first.

And, _then_ they would deal with Paulina.

* * *

Danny and co. headed for lunch, after Jazz had finally managed to get one of the little bugs attached to the ceiling and declared that her 'point had been proven'. Sam didn't even care how delusional the redhead was, the entire thing had been too good. Then, the group had quickly covered the rest of the bugs, in less time than the eldest Fenton kid had taken to place one. They walked into the cafeteria a few minutes late, but they still had plenty of time, as long as nothing went wrong.

...Okay, so, maybe they didn't have all that much time. But, they were trying to be hopeful.

They sat down, chatting happily. "Hey," Mikey suddenly piped up. "How come Dash and Kwan are sitting in the back corner, and not with the A-Listers?" The others turned to look.

"Do you think Paulina kicked them out, because Dash broke up with her?" Jazz suggested, turning to Valerie, since she was the most experienced with the other group.

"I dunno," The Huntress replied. "They are acting really weird, though.

"Yeah, Dash has been like that since last week," Clark said, seeming unsurprised.

" _He has_?" The others looked at him.

The green-eyed boy shrugged. "Yeah. I guess he's dragged Kwan into it, now."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Mike asked.

The green-eyed geek turned to him. "I did. Don't you remember me mentioning it, while we were Danny-sitting, Thursday?"

"' _Danny-Sitting_ '?" The halfa wondered aloud. He was largely ignored.

"Uhh," The shortest redhead droned, thinking. "When, exactly, was that?"

"When you were attaching the spy-cam to the drone."

The rest of the teens looked at Mike. "Uh. Then, no. I wasn't paying attention. Sorry," The blue-eyed geek admitted, looking sheepish.

"What was he doing?" Tucker asked, turning to Clark.

"Wandering around the hallways, peeking into classrooms, like he was looking for something. Thought I heard him say 'Phantom', but it was too quiet to know for sure. Then, Paulina showed up, and he looked really scared for a minute. Then, she insulted him, - Y'know, because she's Paulina, - and he ran away," The dark-haired geek replied simply.

The group looked between him and each other, as Clark obliviously continued to pick the lettuce out of his sandwich.

 _||He might be even more clueless than Danny,||_ Sam thought incredulously.

Then, said halfa nodded. "Man, that _is_ weird," He agreed, before continuing with his own lunch.

 _||Spoke too soon.||_

"There are two of them, now," Tucker mumbled, pulling his hat down over his eyes.

* * *

"Dude," Kwan whispered, elbowing his friend. The blond looked up, then in the direction his friend was staring. The Nerd Herd was staring at them. How could they possibly know they were spying on them. They hadn't even been near them.

Unless...

"Kwan?" Dash croaked, as the other group realized they'd been noticed and feigned going about their business.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Manson can see what _I'm_ thinking, too?"

The two looked at each other, then back at the Herd.

 ** _||He might be even more clueless than Danny,||_** Manson's voice echoed faintly inside the blod's skull. Dash immediately began to panic, and turned to tell his friend what he'd just heard. (Along with the fact that his mind-reading range was, apparently, farther than he'd thought.)

But, before he could, an all-too-familiar chill crept into the air.

* * *

"Man," Ray groaned, tipping his head back against the bench he was sitting on. He stared up at the little, blue bird that was perched on a tree branch, directly above him. "I am so bored." He turned to Carrie. "I thought you said this place was haunted. The only eerie thing I've seen is how quiet it is around here."

Dave nodded. "I hate to agree with him, -"

"Hey!" Ray interjected. "Thanks, a ton, Pal." He was ignored.

"- but it _is_ oddly deserted. Look around." They did. Still nothing. "I expected people from the nearby businesses to come here for lunch, but it's dead as a doornail."

Ray made an undignified noise, and the others turned to him. There was something white on his forehead, and somehow the bird above him sounded almost like it was laughing. "I hate this town," The short man grumbled. "I'm going to the van to clean this off. Call me if something interesting happens. Or, don't. I don't really care."

"Man," Carrie said, as she and Dave winced. "Does he _ever_ have good luck?"

"Nope," The green-eyed man replied, popping the 'P' and turning to hide his smirk.

They failed to notice the black shadow leaving the bird, (whose expression suddenly seemed significantly more innocent,) or the blond man standing behind the tree. Both ghosts were smirking, as well.

"Good work, Shadow," Johnny whispered, looking back to the little group. They glanced around the tree to Kitty, who was behind a bush on the other side of the park. She grinned back at them. "Now, let's give 'em a show."

* * *

"Ready, Jack?" Maddie asked, turning to her husband, from her place at the little control panel.

"READY, BABY," The big man replied from his own spot, as Marty hovered over his shoulder, gurgling curiously.

The humans each typed somethin into their computers, - A security precaution, since this was important, but also technically illegal, - before turning their activation keys. Then, small grids of videos leapt to life on each of their screens. They each turned to the other, sending a thumbs up in confirmation.

Then, they grinned, as Marty attempted to copy the action with one of his tentacles. They tried not to laugh, as the little guy became frustrated, gurgling irritably. Finally, Jack reached up and helped him curl the little, suction-cupped appendage around with the tip sticking up, so it resembled a fist.

"Alrighty, boys," Maddie smirked, pulling her trademark, red goggles down over her eyes. "We're good to go."

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Well, this is going in so many directions at once that I keep forgetting about some of them XD So, here's a little glimpse of every major character... I think... Did I miss anyone? *Counts on fingers* No, I think that's all of them.**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **GhostWriterGirl-1**

 **speedyowl152**

 **Unprofessional Writer**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **I do not own Crash Nebula, Butch Hartman owns that, too. (Anybody else see the pilot when it premiered, and got bummed when it didn't get picked up?) I also do not own** ** _James Bond_** **or any of the characters from** ** _Tomb Raider._** **So, please, don't sue me. :)**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	9. 8: Spy Games

**Chapter 8:**  
 **Spy Games**

* * *

 _Dash immediately began to panic, and turned to tell his friend what he'd just heard. (Along with the fact that his mind-reading range was, apparently, farther than he'd thought.)_

 _But, before he could, an all-too-familiar chill crept into the air._

* * *

"BEWARE!" Boxy said, phasing through the cafeteria wall and hovering over the students of Casper High. "TREMBLE, PUNY HUMANS, BEFORE THE AWESOME POWER OF THE MIGHTY **BOX GHOST**!" He shouted. Most of the room's occupants began screaming, trembling, panicking, or a combination of the three.

Sam pulled out the _Fenton Thermos_ she'd sucked the blue nuisance into, not twenty minutes before, looking it over. Okay, Val's square watch she could understand. But, seriously, how did he keep getting out of a _cylindrical_ containment device, that had never failed to hold him before?

"That's it!" Danny shouted, shocking everyone - Even the panicked teens and faculty, - into a frozen silence, as he stood, slamming his palms on the lunch table. Thankfully, no one but the friends sitting with him noticed his eyes flash green, as Boxy paused mid-evil-laugh to stare at the Ghost-Child.

"You made me miss breakfast, yesterday. _And_ , dinner," Danny said, counting on his fingers, as he stormed toward the equally-shocked ghost. "You _destroyed_ my homework. (Good luck getting a teacher to believe _that one_.) You woke me up _five times_ last night, so I kept falling asleep during my math test this morning, no matter _how many times_ my friends tried to wake me up. Not to mention all the other times you've come around here, causing trouble." He stopped in front of the blue-skinned being, pointing an accusing finger at the ghost floating above him. "And, _now_ , you interrupt my lunch. I'm warning you, Box Ghost. I can deal with no sleep, but I need food. And, if you stop me from eating _one more time_ this week, I'm -" He paused, eyes widening.

Then, he smirked smugly.

He straightened, folding his arms and looking up at his most-annoying enemy. " _I'm gonna tell the Lunch Lady on you_."

The blue ghost paled, as confused chatter rose around the room, and a woman wearing a hairnet and apron began frantically searching for a place to hide. Danny saw her out of the corner of his eye.

" _Not you_ ," He clarified, glancing in her direction, without bothering to turn around. "The Lunch Lady is the name of a ghost, who just so happens to be obsessed with making sure children eat right." He explained, looking back to his foe. "So, Boxy," He began, slyly. "How do you think your little girlfriend would feel if she knew _you_ were keeping a child from eating?"

The room was quiet, as the ghost recovered from his initial surprise. Then, he regained his usual bravado. "YOU WOULD NOT **_DARE_** ," He challenged, leaning in towards the boy's face.

The halfa grinned mercilessly, leaning in, himself, until their noses were nearly touching. He allowed his eyes to flash again, to emphasize his point. " _ **Try me**_."

They held their staring contest for a long moment, as the Geek Squad tried to come up with an explanation for this, the Nerd Herd worried Danny was about to do something really, _really_ stupid, and everyone else wondered what ghost had overshadowed the most ecto-phobic kid in the Casper High.

"Fine," Boxy finally huffed, folding his arms and flying towards the side wall. "But, I'll be back, after you've had your nourishment." He turned his nose up haughtily. "It would be unsporting and unbefitting of my incredible power to face a nemesis in a weakened state. Therefore, I shall be merciful with you, this time, Half- Ouch!" Before he could finish that last word, and possibly blow Danny's secret out of the ectoplasmic-water, the boy blasted him in the butt.

Everyone in the room turned to look at the short Junior, who stood by Sam, holding her still-smoking ecto-blaster in one hand. Then, they turned back to the ghost, who rubbed at his sore fanny. Boxy looked at Danny again and, thankfully, was the only one to see the boy's eyes flash, one last time. Then, he flew back out the way he'd come in, grumbling something about 'cheating' and 'sore loser'.

Then, as if nothing had happened, Danny gave Sam her ecto-blaster back, returned to his seat at the table, and picked up his sandwich. He took several bites, seeming completely oblivious to all the people who were still staring at him. The other members of Team Phantom remained in varying stages of shock and panic. Sam's mouth was hanging open, but the only sound that came out was the occasional squeak, Tucker seemed to be on the verge of hysterics, and Clark was peeking fearfully between the fingers he still held over his eyes.

After a moment, the halfa took notice. "What?" He asked, looking around. "You think my parents can hunt ghosts nearly twenty-four/seven, and _none_ of them are going to try and get revenge. Honestly, guys." He said, shaking his head in mock-disappointment. And, with that, he returned to his lunch. And, slowly the others in the room did, as well.

* * *

"Okay, dude," Kwan began, as he stood in a janitor's closet for the second time that day, trying to calm his friend. Dash had spent the past five minutes ranting about everything they'd seen in the past two hours, and, if he didn't calm down soon, they'd be late for class.

"Why would they have one of those things?" The blond whisper-screamed. "That's the same thing Phantom uses to catch ghosts! And, how did they catch that blue guy so easily!? And, what were those things they stuck to the ceiling!? And, why are the Geek Squad and Gray involved!? And, how could Fenton just _argue_ with that ghost without even blinking, when he usually runs, screaming, the second someone says 'boo'!?" He asked, waving his arms around frantically.

"I dunno, man," Kwan admitted, shaking his head. His friend looked at him pathetically, and the dark-haired jock thought about it. It _was_ really weird. But, then, so was everything else in their hometown. "...But, we're not gonna figure it out by hiding in a closet," He decided, opening the door pointedly.

Dash blinked. He looked between his best buddy and the exit. Then, his face grew dark, and he nodded.

* * *

Angela groaned as her brother grinned. He held a stack of comics in his arms and was far-too-proud of his 'repaired', vomiting-snake tattoo, which now had the head of a shaved rottweiler with a mohawk. The young woman could not believe this was happening to her.

Behind the two, Ellie and Youngblood did their best not to giggle, as they continued to follow, now sporting their own temporary tattoos. Ellie's was a bearded butterfly holding a sword, who seemed to have just returned from a war of some kind, judging by the battle-scars on its wings. And Youngblood's was a biker-goat on a motorcycle. The goat wore sunglasses, and a tattooed pig sat in his sidecar.

It occurred to Ellie that her spying hadn't actually revealed any information about the Crew, other than the fact that Toby had great taste. But, she didn't think they'd gotten anything, either. And, she was having too much fun to really care.

The siblings and their tails got near the park, and Ellie spotted a green-haired ghost-girl hiding behind a bush. She paused and, upon closer inspection, noticed the rest of the Crew standing near the fountain. And, what was that white stuff all over the camera-guy?

Apparently, Toby and Angie noticed, too, as they quietly discussed whether they could get away with being seen with the others, if they acted like they'd just met. Toby was all for it. Angie, not so much.

"It's Kitty," Youngblood said, after Ellie brought the young woman to his attention. The boy rubbed his hands together almost-evilly, taking in the scene. "Oh, this is gonna be good," He whispered.

Ellie looked at him. "What's gonna b-" She paused, however, as a loud snap rang out, and a large crack spread up from the bottom of the fountain. A pipe in the center was exposed and suddenly the three journalists in the park were soaked.

The four people standing on the other side of the street stared for a few seconds. "...Whoa!" Toby shouted, as Youngblood began cackling. Ellie and Angie looked at each other, the kids now exposed. The young woman was surprised. Her brother didn't care.

He and the grey-skinned boy rushed over, as Dave and Ray stepped out of range of the fountain's spray. Angie stood on the sidewalk, mouth opening and closing, looking between the ghost-girl next to her and the now-ruined park. Ellie shrugged at her, then flew over to join Toby, Youngblood, and Carrie. The blonde woman had yet to get out of the downpour, too busy laughing at Ray, who looked somewhere between miserable and furious. He was just lucky he'd put something over his camera, in case of rain.

"Hey, aren't you one of those Phantom kids?" Carrie asked, as Ellie splashed in a puddle.

"Yep," The girl smiled, just before getting knocked over by the blast from a water gun. She turned to find her new friend grinning at her and drew her own set of the toys from her costume's holsters. "Here," She said, floating up and tossing one to Carrie. "You're on my team."

"And, you're on my team," Youngblood added, conjuring another water-blaster and tossing it to Toby.

The man caught it, grinning like the nine-year-old his sister often wondered if he mentally was, as the blonde woman did the same. "Oh, man, I bet this town's a riot on Halloween!"

"It's not supposed to be fun!" Kitty shouted irritably, as the play-battle began. Angela slowly joined Dave and Ray at the edge of the park, seeming to be in a daze. "Johnny! What kind of 'bad luck' powers make people _happy_!?" The ghost-woman glared at her boyfriend and his Shadow, bringing them to the others' attention, for the first time. Both looked like they would've jumped in, as well, if they weren't too busy being terrified of the green-haired woman.

"Hey, Johnny!" Youngblood called cheerfully.

The biker grinned and waved. "Johnny!" His red-eyed girlfriend screeched. He and Shadow looked at each other.

"Fine," The blond man sighed. "Shadow, attack!"

Ellie gasped, as an ecto-blast flew past her head, and Toby jumped back in surprise. He and Carrie took a moment to stare at the scorch-mark on the concrete, then at the little girl, as her hands began to glow.

"Hey!" She shouted.

"Not cool! You're ruining our game!" Youngblood joined. Suddenly, a horde of ghostly, spy-like, skeleton figures appeared behind him, as the Crew looked on in calculating disbelief.

Ellie turned to her new friend. "Ready?" She asked, as Kitty continued to complain and Johnny and Shadow continued to look miserable.

Green fire erupted around Youngblood's hands, as his ghost-spy minions pulled out their play-weapons. "Oh, it is _on_!"

* * *

Dash and Kwan stood in one of the school hallways, staring at the place they _knew_ Sam had stuck one of the little machine-thingies. But, they couldn't see anything. It was the middle of class, so they'd just lied about why they'd needed to leave. But, what were they supposed to say? 'Hey, Teach, we gotta go investigate weird stuff in the halls'? They might not have been the brightest kids in Casper, but they weren't _that_ stupid. Usually.

"What are you doing?" Star deadpanned. They whirled around to find her standing behind them, then glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes.

"Uhh, nothing," The jocks replied nervously, in unison, looking at her then at each other, again.

"Whatever," She waved them off, not really seeming to care. "Just thought I'd let you know that Paulina's not happy that you weren't staring at her at lunch."

"Huh?" Dash asked intelligently. The girl held up a hand, to silence him.

"And, she's _extra_ not-happy that you seemed to be staring at Jazz. Bottom line, - And, you didn't hear this from me, - start pleading for forgiveness soon, or you'll wake up a ghost." And, with that, the blonde continued on down the hall.

The boys looked at each other, again.

 _ **||Then, again, he's probably better off dead, than with Paulie. It' s**_ _ **so obvs**_ _ **they're not meant to be together, past high school. The poll for how long until they crash and burn entirely is almost as big as the poll for when Manson and Fenton will get a clue.||**_

Dash's eyes widened, and he turned back to his friend. "Does everyone really feel that way?"

Kwan's eyebrows scrunched up. "Feel what way?"

Darn it. Dash kept forgetting he was the only one who heard these things. "Like me and Paulina shouldn't be together."

The Asian jock looked surprised. "Did you hear her thoughts, or something? I thought you could only hear Manson's."

"I can hear lots of people, Kwan, I just have no control over it," The blond argued. "Now, is it true, or isn't it?"

His friend looked at him a moment. "Yeah. It's true. They have this poll thing going," He admitted. "I had nothing to do with it, though," He added quickly. "I think it was Clay's idea."

Dash looked at him a moment. "Does Paulina know?"

Kwan half-snorted. "I doubt it. She's too busy planning how to look perfect every second of every day to notice how anyone else feels," He said. Then, he paused. "Unless you're, like, still into her. 'Cause, then, she's totally a sweet, caring person," He corrected.

"Nice save," The quarterback deadpanned. His friend grinned nervously, as Dash's face darkened. He turned to look after Star. "Too bad we both know it's a lie." He sighed, leaning back against the lockers, as the bell rang. "I think it's safe to tell everyone the poll's over."

"Don't talk like that, man. You never know. Maybe you two will patch things up. You've broken up before," Kwan assured, but Dash just shook his head.

Then, he looked up to see Schwartz wander out of a nearby classroom, bumping into Chaney. They began talking, the taller stumbling over his words nervously, as the shorter stayed cool, as always.

 _ **||C'mon, Les. Why don't you just ask me out, already?||**_

What? Was that Chaney?

 _ **||...Stupid, why don't you ask**_ _ **him**_ _ **out? ...Oh, yeah, when he looks at me like that, it's all I can do not to turn into jelly... Heh, he's so cute when he stutters... What am I even thinking? He's way too smart for me. He's, like, a major-league genius, and so are his friends, and I'm barely passing science. He probably wants some brainy girl, like Bethie Whitmire or Jazz Fenton. *Gasp* What if that's why the Geek Squad's been hanging with the Nerd Herd? What if Les and Jazz are an item, now? What if I missed my chance? What if I'm too late?||**_

 _ **||Get a grip, Les. Just ask her out, already. The worst she can do is say 'no'. Right? ...Who am I kidding? She's probably only talking to me out of pity. Why would she want a major-league loser, like me? She's so strong, and I'm barely even surviving gym. (**_ _ **Literally**_ _ **.) I am such an idiot...||**_

Was that really how the geek and the punk-rocker thought? How come it sounded almost the same? They were from two completely different cliques, so they should've thought different. Right?

 _ **||Oh, no. There's Dash and Kwan. What if they see me trying to talk to Carson and decide it's the perfect time to make me look bad? *Gasp* What if they trip me and I fall on Carson? With my height, it could kill her! Dash is looking this way. Please, leave me alone.**_ _ **Please**_ _ **, just leave me alone.||**_

The blonde blinked, as Kwan waved his hand in front of his face. "Bro? What's the matter?" The dark-haired boy looked in the direction his friend was turned. Then, he grinned. "What? You wanna go take this out on Schwartz?" He punched him in the arm playfully. "That might make you feel better."

"Huh? Uh, naw, man. Let's just..." Dash sighed. "Let's just get to class."

* * *

"What. The heck. Was that?" Ray asked, still standing in the park, staring at the wreckage that used to be a fountain and some benches. Several trees lay strewn about, and the three adult 'ghosts', as well as Toby and Carrie, lay on the ground, soaked and panting.

The Fentons had arrived shortly after the battle had started, a green blur whizzing out of their... Whatever-Kind-Of-Vehicle-That-Thing-Was, as Jack opened his door. The blur turned out to be some kind of octopus, and apparently it was some kind of pet.

Now, the two 'ghost-kids' and their skeletal horde were still running around with their squirt-guns, happily playing, as the octopus chased them, and Mr. Fenton chased the octopus. Dave, Angela, and Mrs. Fenton stood beside Ray, the scientist woman half-glaring at the cameraman, who shied away behind his tall friend. Though, the woman didn't look nearly as menacing as she had the day before. In fact, at times, she almost seemed _guilty_.

"I GOT HIM!" Jack Fenton shouted, getting hold of some of the green blob's tentacles. This did little to slow the 'creature' down, though, as the shadow-like being floated off the ground and produced a giant stick from who-knows-where. He whistled, gaining the octopus' attention, then threw the stick. "NO, MARTY, DON'T FETCH!" Mr. Fenton cried, but it was too late. Suddenly, the octopus - 'Marty', apparently, - took off, and Mr. Fenton was dragged along with him.

Toby began cackling hysterically. "Oh, man! This whole thing is just too good!"

The two redheaded women face-palmed at their brother and husband, shaking their heads almost hopelessly.

"Quick," Youngblood shouted, coming back around to Carrie's side, poofing her into a cowgirl outfit. The blonde was just about to tell the kid that she most-certainly did _not_ do chaps, when the boy conjured up a skeletal horse, with a flaming, purple mane. "Take this!" He ordered, as a green lasso appeared in her hands. "And, follow that ectopus!"

"You've _got_ to be kidding me!" Ray groaned. " _Ecto_ pus?"

Carrie looked between the lasso, the green blur, and the demonic-looking steed. Then, she grinned, hopping up onto her new ride and setting off. "YAH!"

"This situation is weird enough, without you helping!" Angela cried.

Mrs Fenton looked at her weirdly. "...I'm sorry. Do I know you?"

The others tried to hide their surprise, all of them looking for an excuse. Then, Ellie rescued her father from Marty, turning him intangible and setting him back on his feet. "GOOD JOB, ELLIE-RINC-" He paused, as the others turned to look at _him_ , his wife's expression nervous. "UH... I MEAN, IT'S 'ELLIE', RIGHT?"

The girl looked confused. Then, she grinned, catching on. "Yep," She confirmed, as Marty and his pursuers rounded the fountain, again. Then, the little ghost-girl rejoined the chase.

"Johnny!" Kitty cried, staggering up from a mud puddle the horse had knocked her into. "How could you let this happen to me!? And, you!" She pointed to Shadow. "What does it take to handle a couple of kids!?" The two ghosts in question looked at each other, then turned back to the woman sheepishly.

"But, Kitten," Johnny began.

His girlfriend held up a hand to stop him. "I'm going to take a shower. Come home when you're done playing cowboys," She called back, as she stormed off.

"Hey!" Youngblood shouted. "We're playing secret agents!"

"If these are AIs, they are _really_ sophisticated," Dave noted quietly.

"And, moody," Ray added, as they watched Kitty glare at some blue ghost who suddenly decided to appear.

"BEWA-AUGH!" Then, she blasted him, and the charred man sat on the ground, seeming confused. "Man. What does a guy have to do to catch a break, around here?" He wondered aloud, before disappearing again.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Okay, I know this chapter was absolutely horrible. I tried, but it is what it is. -_- Hopefully, the next one will be better :)**

 **Also, please disregard the chapter title, It's terrible. -_-**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **speedyowl152**

 **Unprofessional Writer**

 **Tillybananalover**

 **GF255**

 **BlueTiger01**

 **LittleLuffy**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	10. 9: Mission Improbable - Ghost Protocol

**Chapter 9:**  
 **Mission: Improbable - Ghost Protocol**

* * *

After the 'incident' in the cafeteria, the rest of the school day went fairly normally for Danny and co, and the group had every intention of heading back to _FentonWorks_ to see what the bugs had picked up and plot out their next move.

Until they headed out the front doors after the last bell and heard someone scream inside the building.

* * *

Dash and Kwan stood in one of the school's now-empty hallways, hoping for another chance at one of those bug things on the ceiling. Or, at least a clue as to what they were.

Little did they know, they were staying just outside of the little machine's range. And, Dash had managed to stay out of range of all of the bugs, since his paranoia was spiking and he didn't want to walk directly under them.

"Okay, Bro," Kwan began, and Dash nearly hit the roof. The quarterback did his best to get his nerves under control, as his friend stared at him weirdly. "Dude. What was that?"

Truth be told, 'that' was Dash playing his newest game: 'Is It In My Head, Or Real Life?'

Of course, he couldn't tell Kwan that. He wouldn't understand. Nobody would. How could they? He'd just been bombarded by the thoughts of nearly every kid that walked by him as they headed out of the school, and he was still trying to not feel like he was going to explode. Or, throw up. Or, both.

Who could relate to that?

"Nothing," He finally said. "This whole thing is just messing with me."

"I know, right?" The linebacker agreed. "It's so weird. I knew the Nerds were freaks, but why would they stick metal bugs everywhere?"

Then, Dash's brain kicked in. "Wait. Bugs?"

"Uhh. Yeah, Man. Those little things they stuck everywhere? We watched them do it? Then, we decided we wanted to know what they were?" His buddy hinted.

"I know that," The blond defended. He was about to tell Kwan that he meant the actual _word_ 'bugs'. For some reason, it hadn't occurred to him that the Herd might be using them to spy on people. After all, why would they? But, with the way they'd been acting, would it really be that far-fetched?

But, he never got to voice those concerns, as a figure who'd become almost as common in Amity as the fountain in the park appeared.

"BEWARE!"

"AHHHH!" The two jocks screamed, hugging each other.

"THAT IS RIGHT! TREMBLE! TREMBLE IN FEAR BEFORE THE MIGHTY **BOX GHOST**!" The blue being cried. He leaned in close to the terrified teens. "NOW, TELL ME, PATHETIC WEAKLINGS, WHERE IS THE GHOST-CHILD!?"

 _ **||I SHALL FIND THE HALFA, ONCE AGAIN! AND, WHEN I HAVE DEFEATED HIM IN BATTLE, THEN ALL SHALL SEE THAT**_ _ **I**_ _ **AM A BEING MOST FEARFUL! MOST POWERFUL! THAT**_ _ **I**_ _ **SHOULD BE-||**_

"Danny Phantom? He doesn't go to school here. He's a ghost," Kwan pointed out.

The strange man's echoing thoughts and evil cackling, which had been overlapping each other in Dash's mind, both abruptly stopped. "Uhh..." The blond droned, as the Box Ghost glared down at them threateningly. "He means... He went that way!" Dash lied, before pointing off down the hall.

"AHA! YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE FROM ME, THIS TIME, PHANTOM!" He turned to Dash, patting him on the head condescendingly. "WELL DONE, HUMAN FILTH! WHEN I RULE THIS TOWN, I SHALL CONSIDER KEEPING YOU ON AS A SERVANT! OR, PERHAPS A PET!" And, with that, the unstable creature took off.

The jocks looked at each other a moment. "...Do you think he'll actually find Phantom?" Kwan asked, almost numbly.

His friend scoffed. "Nah. I just said that to get him away from us," He said, as the two calmed.

"BEWARE!" They hear the floating weirdo shout, somewhere down the hall.

 _ **||Oh, for crying out loud!||**_

 _||Wait. That sounded like Phantom. Or, was it Fenton? Why have I never noticed how alike they sound, before?||_ Dash thought, confused.

"C'mon!" He suddenly shouted, heading off in the direction the shout came from.

"What!?" Kwan squeaked, before following. "Dude, where are we going!?"

"To see which one is fighting the Box Loser!"

"Which what!? Dash, you're not making any sense," Kwan tried to reason, as they rounded a corner. An explosion sounded somewhere nearby, just before a green blast hit a classroom door on the opposite end of the hallway.

Dash grabbed his friend, yanking both of them behind a row of lockers to hide from whoever - Or, _what_ ever - was heading in their direction. Then, the Box Ghost reappeared, with none other than Danny Phantom.

"Seriously, Boxy. How many times do I have to kick your butt before you realize you're never gonna beat me?" The white-haired teen's voice echoed around the hallways, his back to the jocks.

"I SHALL NEVER LEARN THAT, BECAUSE IT IS NOT TRUE! I SHALL DEFEAT YOU AND TAKE CONTROL OF THIS PATHETIC, HUMAN CITY, AND LIBERATE ALL OF ITS CARDBOARD CITIZENS!"

Phantom facepalmed. "Citizens? They're _boxes_ , Boxy. Not _people_."

"SAYS YOU," The blue ghost replied childishly.

This continued for several minutes, as Dash and Kwan watched in a mixture of fear and wonder. Ghosts were dangerous, sure. But, they were also strange, powerful, widely-believed-to-not-exist creatures. And, neither of the teens on the ground had ever actually listened to one of their conversations. Not from this close, let alone one that seemed as casual as this. It almost sounded like a normal, human argument, rather than a supernatural battle.

Then, the boys snapped out of their stupor as the fight picked back up. Box Ghost blasted Phantom into a wall. Then, Phantom sent his own blast towards Box Ghost, who dodged and retaliated. Then, Phantom threw up a shield-looking thing, and Box Ghost's blast bounced off of it and hit the ceiling tiles.

In the middle of an intersection.

Knocking a huge chunk of plaster down.

And, there, in the midst of the rubble, was a little, metal, bug.

 _ **||Oh, great. I'll have to come back and find that, after I handle Boxy,||**_ Phantom thought, his voice's echo seeming to bounce off the walls of Dash's skull.

So, Phantom was in on it? He knew about the bugs? Was that how the others had made them turn invisible, like a ghost? Because, a ghost had done something to them? But, then, why hadn't Phantom stuck them around the school? He could've turned invisible and flown around, rather than having a bunch of ground-bound humans do it. And, what was he doing hanging around with the ghost-hunters' kids?

The blond rubbed at his temples. This was too much, and none of it was making any sense.

* * *

Seconds after reentering the building, all prepared for a fight, Danny and his friends heard an all-too-familiar voice ring out through the hallways.

 _||Oh, for crying out loud!||_ Danny thought miserably.

"Nevermind, guys. I got this," He groaned.

"You sure?" Val and Sam asked, in unison.

"Yeah. Boxy's probably here for his 'rematch'. Be back in a second," The tiny halfa assured, taking off. towards the noise.

And, there he was. In all his square glory.

"Seriously, Boxy. How many times do I have to kick your butt before you realize you're never gonna beat me?" Danny snarked.

"I SHALL NEVER LEARN THAT, BECAUSE IT IS NOT TRUE! I SHALL DEFEAT YOU AND TAKE CONTROL OF THIS PATHETIC, HUMAN CITY, AND LIBERATE ALL OF ITS CARDBOARD CITIZENS!"

The teen's hand met his forehead. "Citizens? They're _boxes_ , Boxy. Not _people_."

"SAYS YOU," His foe retorted, folding his arms and pouting like a four-year-old.

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

"PERHAPS IT IS YOUR FEEBLE MIND THAT CANNOT MAKE SENSE OF MY SUPERIOR LOGIC!"

"What logic!?"

"THE LOGIC THAT DICTATES THAT _I_ AM THE MOST POWERFUL GHOST IN EXISTENCE, AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH!"

"Powerful!? I, literally, watched you lose a fight over a box to a stray cat, last month!"

"I ALLOWED MY PRECIOUS, CARDBOARD CHILD TO KEEP THAT CAT AS A PET, BECAUSE IT MADE IT HAPPY!"

"Do you even hear yourself!? Did you hit your head!?"

"IT IS _YOU_ WHO SHALL HIT _YOUR_ HEAD!"

"Huh?" Danny asked intelligently, just before Boxy sent a blast his way, knocking him into a wall. He groaned, floating back up and sending his own blast at the odd ghost. Boxy dodged and fired at him again, but his shot bounced off of Danny's shield and hit the ceiling tiles.

 _||Oh, great. I'll have to come back and find that, after I handle Boxy,||_ Danny thought, catching a glint of metal in the pile, as the fight inched its way further down the hall.

* * *

The ghostly battle continued, until the ghosts rounded the corner, leaving the two jocks watching from their hiding place. Kwan stared after them dumbly for what seemed like a hundred years, until Dash bumped into him as he headed for the center of the hall.

"Dude, What are you-" He began, as his friend dug through the crumbled plaster. Then, Dash pulled back from the rubble, holding a little, silver thing, that looked kinda like a robotic spider.

The jocks looked at each other for a long moment.

Then, Box Ghost screamed and they jumped.

Dash spun Kwan around, unzipping his backpack and shoving the little device inside. Seconds later, Phantom reappeared around the corner, seemingly looking for something.

 _ **||Dash and Kwan? Oh, they must be the ones who screamed.||**_

 _||Phantom knows our names?||_

"Uhh, are you guys okay?" The white-haired ghost asked, landing lightly on the floor and glancing nervously over at the pile of ceiling. Kwan didn't notice. But, Dash did.

"Yeah. We're fine," The Asian jock replied almost shyly. "Uh, that was an awesome fight, by the way. Is that other ghost gone, now?"

"Huh?" Phantom asked distractedly, looking away from the plaster and back to Kwan. "Yeah. He's gone," He assured, smirking and holding up that weird, thermos thing he always carried around.

"How come Fenton and his friends have one of those, too?" Dash suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Phantom seemed surprised. Then, he seemed nervous. "Uh, well," He began, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is actually Fenton tech."

* * *

Kwan's brows scrunched together. "But, I thought the Fentons hated you."

"Th-They do. Or, they _did_. They're warming up to me. But, their kids have liked me for a while. Sometimes they get me access to some of their parents' tech to help me with catching ghosts, or they give me a heads up about new weapons," Danny lied, hoping the tremble in his voice wasn't as obvious to Dash and Kwan as it was to him.

The three boys stared at each other awkwardly for a long moment, before Dash spoke again. "How come you know our names?"

Danny blinked. He hadn't realized he'd said their names out loud. He really needed to pay more attention. "Uh. I guess I'm around the school fighting ghosts - Er, _other ghosts_ so much that I picked up a few things. I know the names of most of the kids at Casper."

Kwan looked like he might ask something else, when his friend interrupted. "Well, uh, it was awesome meeting you, and all. But, we gotta go," And, with that, Dash grabbed Kwan's arm and hurried off, leaving the halfa alone in the hallway.

"What was that about?" He wondered aloud. Then, the thermos in his hand sparked, and he dropped it with a yelp, as a blue blob slithered out from under the cap and took form in the air before him.

"I AM THE BOX GHOST!"

" _OH, FOR GOODNESS' SAKES_!"

* * *

Dash finally stopped behind the school, looking around frantically as his friend watched him. "...Okay, dude. I know this is, like, the third time I've asked this, this week. But, what the heck was that about?"

After checking that the coast was clear, Dash turned to him, his expression serious. Then, he spun his friend around again, retrieving the little robot from his bag and studying it.

"What do you think that thing is?" The dark-haired jock wondered aloud, recovering fairly quickly. Living in Amity Park meant learning to recover from just about _anything_ faster than most.

"...I dunno," His buddy replied after a moment. "But, I'm gonna find out."

Kwan resisted the urge to roll his eyes, trying to ignore his friend's new drama-queen streak. Then, he looked back at the metal bug. "...Isn't it s'posed to have eight legs?"

* * *

"That was the coolest thing I've ever been involved in," Toby smiled, completely ignoring his sister's orders to take a bath, rather proud of the muck and 'ectoplasm' caked on his skin and clothes.

"Totally," Carrie grinned, equally proud. "Fake or not, those ghosts know how to party."

"I can't believe you were _playing with them_. We're supposed to be on an investigation, here," Ray half-scolded, rubbing at his now-clean hair with a towel. "Right, Dave?" He added, turning to his best friend, who was standing in the kitchenette looking over a file.

"Hmm?" Dave muttered, not looking up.

Ray just sighed. Whenever the big man got like this, there was no reaching him until he finished reading.

"So, where do we go to next?" Carrie asked, excitedly. "I can't wait to hang with the haunts some more."

"I know, right?" Toby agreed. "I don't even care that it washed off my tattoos. That was great!"

Angie rubbed her temples. "Are we sure the 'ghosts' aren't just Toby clones, in costumes?" She muttered.

"Aw, come on," Her brother said, swinging an arm around her shoulder. "Y'know ya love me."

"Of course, I love you," She agreed. "But, _you're_ not gonna love _me_ , if you get mud in my hair again," She half-threatened, glaring pointedly at him.

His grin only widened, as he hugged her closer, making sure his dirty arm dragged through her red curls. "You're just jealous 'cause I got to play fetch with the ectopus."

"I still can't believe they made that joke," Ray grumbled.

Angela smirked. "Really? _I'm_ jealous? 'Cause, the last time I checked, _you_ were the one who got all upset that you didn't get to ride the flaming horse."

"That thing was awesome, and you know it!" Her brother argued.

"It was pretty awesome," Carrie smirked.

"Stop gloating," Toby said bitterly.

"Told ya," Angie and Ray smirked.

Then, the redhead turned to the short man. " _You_ didn't say anything."

"No, but I was thinking it," He argued.

"Seriously, though," Carrie interrupted. "What's our next stop? 'Cause I'm pretty sure Mrs. Fenton knows who you two are," She said, gesturing to the siblings.

"She definitely does," Dave agreed, finally looking up from the file in his hands. "And, if she doesn't, those ghost kids who were following you are bound to tell her. It was obvious they knew each other, despite their trying to hide it."

"Yeah," Ray joined. "Even their ghost-octopus -"

"Ectopus," Toby corrected.

"It is stupid, and I refuse to say it." The brown-eyed man said irritably. "- Even 'Marty' seemed to know those kids. And, why would ghost-hunters -"

"Paranormal scientists," Angie noted.

"Whatever! Why do they have a pet ghost?" Ray finished.

"It is weird." Carrie admitted. "Awesome, but weird."

"I think our best bet would be to head to the abandoned G.I.W. base," Dave said suddenly.

"What?" The others asked, turning to him.

"Isn't that place, like, under police investigation and off-limits to everyone?" Carrie asked.

"Yep," The big man replied. "Which means there's probably stuff there that has to do with our case."

"Cool," The blonde smirked.

"I don't know about this, guys," Ray fretted.

"You always say that," Toby pointed out. "And, besides, it's not like it's the first time we've done this. The juciest stuff is _always_ in the places we're not supposed to go. That's what being an investigative journalist is all about. Investigating."

"Why do I get the feeling that by 'investigating' you actually mean 'getting away with stuff, because you think it's funny'?" The short man deadpanned, looking at the younger man, who grinned back happily.

* * *

"I just don't understand it," Maddie said aloud to the otherwise-empty room, tapping the black screen with one fingernail. The logical part of her brain knew that this would do nothing to get the feed working again, but it still made her feel better. "What could've knocked this one out?"

"That would be my fault, actually," Danny noted, rubbing the back of his neck, as he and the others came down the basement stairs. "Boxy attacked again, and one of the blasts hit the bug." He pulled out a tiny, metal leg. "This is all that's left of that one."

His mother took the tiny appendage from him, looking it over with a sigh. "Oh, well. I guess it's a good thing we made extras." She stood, walking to the weapons vault and retrieving another little bug. "How extensive was the damage to the school?"

"Just a couple ceiling tiles. They'll have it fixed by morning," Sam replied, taking the device from her. "We'll put it up tomorrow."

Maddie smiled. "Alright."

"So, did you see anything suspicious?" Lester asked almost shyly.

Then, the woman frowned. "No. Not a thing."

"Do you think the other person who got hit could have been from Elmerton?" Clark wondered.

"Or, a homeschool kid?" Jazz added.

"Maybe," The mother said thoughtfully. Then, she shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to keep watching." The teens nodded.

"Where's Mr. F.? Tucker asked, noticing the empty control panel on the opposite side of the room.

"He, Ellie, and Ellie's new friend are in the back yard, doing their best to give Marty a bath," She grinned. "Or, at least, that's what they're calling it. Honestly, I think it was just an excuse to play in the hose pipe."

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Kinda short, I know. I didn't realize how much I was leaning on Danny's delusions to get to my chapter-length goal, until he was lucid again. *Shrugs* You don't know whatcha got, 'til it's gone.**

 **I know Boxy's coming up a lot, but it** ** _is_** **for a reason. (What that reason is, I'm not certain of yet, but I'll come up with something.) :)**

 **Ignore the title of this chapter, too. It's absolutely terrible.**

 **Also, just before posting this, I noticed that I posted my** ** _entire_** **Table Of Contents on here. The one I use for myself, with future chapters and a place for author's notes. I fixed it, but I can't believe it took me nine weeks to notice... Actually, yeah, I can believe that -_-**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **GhostWriterGirl-1**

 **speedyowl152**

 **Unprofessional Writer**

 **FiveRivers**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	11. 10: Shudder Island

**Chapter 10:**  
 **Shudder Island**

* * *

"I can't believe my own sister is best buddies with Youngblood," Danny grumbled, as he and his friends walked into school, Wednesday morning.

"She's also sparring pal to Skulker," Tucker added unnecessarily, grinning cheekily.

" _You_ hang out with ghost-hunters," Mike pointed out.

"That's different," The halfa insisted.

"Aw, c'mon, Danny," Sam said reasonably, placing a hand on his shoulder. "With the G.I.W.'s machine gone, maybe Youngblood's changed."

The shortest teen thought a moment, then sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right," He relented. "Let's just get this bug replaced and get to class. Who knows, maybe the little brat's matured."

* * *

"Oh, this is gonna be so good," Youngblood crooned, rubbing his hands together evilly, as he and Ellie watched the Critical Crew doing their best to sneak into the G.I.W.'s abandoned base. The authorities had finished gathering everything that could be considered evidence and left the day before, but the place was still taped off.

The two little ghosts covered their mouths to hide their giggles, as Ray tripped over a random, bathroom sink that had been tossed outside during the military take-down. He fell into Toby, knocking the brunette over with him, like human dominoes. Angie barely held in a burst of laughter, as her brother glared at her, his face now covered in dirt. Apparently, she was still mad at him over their 'disguises'.

The kids turned invisible, floating close to the adults. Ray dusted himself off, then shivered, as he looked up at the building. "Okay, all superstitions and jokes about them aside, this place gives me a _really_ bad feeling."

"Me, too," Angie agreed, as Dave nodded.

"Something's definitely off here," The big man said.

"Maybe it's haunted," Carrie noted cheerfully. The little ghosts looked at each other, grinning. They had to admit, they liked the blonde woman.

"It is not haunted," Ray argued. The kids' smirks grew. They were gonna have so much fun messing with these people. Of course, they were making a game out of it. Creep the humans out, one little, supernatural oddity at a time, getting creepier as they went, and see how long it took to convince the Crew that ghosts were real. Ellie finally understood why ghosts had such a bad reputation for scaring people. It was just too fun.

"I really, really don't like this place," Angela emphasized, as the group stepped through the darkened front entrance, as though she was telling the kids that she was going to be the easiest to spook. "It feels so... _Sad_."

"Maybe there are ghosts of G.I.W. agents here," Toby grinned, as Youngblood shuddered behind him, not liking that thought at all. "And, they can just _give us_ some info for our episode." The others looked at him, as Ellie put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "What? Are you saying it _wouldn't_ be a nice change?"

The seven figures looked around at the large room they'd found themselves in, which branched off in six different directions, the first being the one they'd just come from. Ellie made a mental note to come back and really check the place out later. It was way too cool to pass up.

But, Angie and Ray had been right. Something was definitely off. There wasn't another ghost there, G.I.W. or otherwise, that much she knew. More like the building's cruel history had left a tangible impression, even for people who didn't know the details. So, she wasn't sure she wanted to be there alone.

She smiled to herself. Maybe Youngblood would come back and explore with her.

"Okay, people," Dave started, his voice echoing in a very ghostly way around the eerie space, as several flashlights flickered to life. "You know the drill. Be careful, stay quiet if you can, but shout if you need help. - Better jail for trespassing, than hospital or morgue. - Otherwise, use the walkies to relay information. Phones on silent," He reminded. Ray pulled his mobile out, turning the volume down, trying to ignore the fact that he was the only one who forgot. Again. "Watch your step, and stay away from standing water and loose wires or cables. This place was only shut down a few days ago, but Angie heard a woman mention that the Military take-down of the G.I.W. got pretty violent, so electricity and structural damage are a very possible danger."

The others nodded and the group split up, Ellie secretly following along with Dave, while Youngblood all-too-happily tailed Ray. Looking at the bald-headed man before her, Ellie knew her new friend had been right.

This was gonna be good.

* * *

"So, we work out what's going on with the Nerd Herd, and how to control your new superpowers," Kwan began, as he and his friend walked towards the school.

"You think they're superpowers?" Dash interrupted.

His friend shrugged. "I guess so. I mean, it's something you can do that normal humans can't. And, mind-reading always counts as a superpower on TV," He noted.

Dash tensed, as another car went past him, hoping he wouldn't be bombarded by more thoughts from the people inside. Of course, the very fact that he didn't want to hear them seemed to mean he absolutely would. Why couldn't he have a say in what went on in his own head?

He flinched, as a group of nerds started across the school's front lawn, their entire conversation practically broadcasting straight to his brain.

And, how come everyone in Casper High thought so much alike? The actual words and situations might have been different, but the emotions all seemed the same. And, they all seemed to match his own. Dash had always been told that, as a rich kid, as a football star, as an A-Lister, and as a million other lists he fell under, he was better than other kids.

So, how come the powers that should've set him apart further only made him feel more the same?

"Dash?" Kwan's voice brought him from his thoughts. He had to stop zoning out, like that. "Dude, you have _got_ to stop zoning out, like that."

 _||Is there an echo in here? ...Wait. Did I read his thoughts, or were we just thinking the same thing?||_

"Dude?" His friend waved a hand in front of his face. "Are you reading someone's mind, or is this that concussion Gray gave you last week?"

Dash blinked. "She didn't give me a concussion. She punched me in the gut and hung me from the field goal by my shoelaces." He blinked, again. "And, she only managed that, because she caught me off guard." Then, he gasped, looking towards the building's front doors. "Fenton and freaks, at..." He trailed off, counting. "One o'clock."

"I think that's closer to _two_ o'clock," Kwan noted.

"Who cares? Look at what Foley's holding," The blond insisted, pointing towards the teal-eyed techno-geek. In his hand was a shiny, new, metal bug.

The jocks looked at each other, then followed after the Herd.

* * *

Ellie floated quietly behind Dave, watching the large, uncoordinated man try to climb over an enormous pile of debris, with a flashlight in his mouth. He was even clumsier than Ray, he just seemed to have better luck. The girl winced, as the journalist lost his balance and face-planted on the floor. He quickly stood up, looked around in case anyone saw, then dusted himself off and kept moving.

 _||Well, at least he still has his dignity,||_ Ellie thought, smirking.

 _||For now,||_ She added, as she noticed a stick coming out of the pile had undone Dave's shoelace. Then, the big man was on the floor, again.

* * *

On the other end of the building, Youngblood watched Ray wander around, his camera aimed at anything and everything, trying to take in the whole scene.

And it was absolutely _boring_. Why hadn't he gone with Ellie? Or, followed one of the others? He knew how to scare a human. Put a little ghostly eeriness into the air, wait for that to catch their attention, then watch them freak themselves out for a few minutes. After their fear peaked on its own, go in for the kill. Haunting 101.

Only Ray didn't seem to be effected by the building's creepiness nearly as much as Youngblood was by the bad feeling the base seemed to naturally give off. Now, _he_ was getting freaked out, while the _human_ wandered around happily.

That was _so_ messed up.

As the dark-haired man barely missed tripping again, despite the fact that he wasn't even watching where he was going, the little ghost began to wonder if maybe Ray's luck was better than he let on.

The man paused, his camera's lens landing on a charred pile of wood sitting in a corner. It looked like it had already been examined by the cops, and both the human and the ghost floating above him doubted they would find anything, but that didn't stop them from taking a look.

Ray quickly set up a tripod, attaching his recording device to it, and aiming it at the ashes. He dug around for a few minutes, pausing every once in a while to sneeze. He had nearly given up, - And, Youngblood had barely held himself back from phasing inside the pile, and reaching out to grab the man, zombie-style, - when the human suddenly stiffened. Looking to where the flashlight's beam was pointed, the little ghost spotted something glinting in the light, from under a chunk of desk chair. Ray moved everything he could lift out of the way, ( _finally_ ) shivering, as a certain, curious, little boy breathed down his neck.

A desk drawer. A single desk drawer. Badly damaged, and no longer attached to the rest of the desk, which Youngblood assumed was part of the ashes that now covered Ray. The adult felt around in his bag and pulled out a screwdriver, wedging it into the charred wood and popping it open with a loud crack.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Youngblood felt like he should do whatever it too to send the short man screaming, right then and there. But, he wanted to see, too.

And, somehow, inside was a large, perfectly-intact folder. Ray opened it, looking over the first few pages quickly, as Youngblood paled behind him.

The short man lifted his walkie-talkie to his mouth, a sudden, intense uneasiness coming over him. Though he had no idea why. The stuff the file said made no sense, so why was he letting it get to him? "G-Guys." He clenched his jaw, forcing the fear out of his voice. "I think I found something," His words echoed around the room, seeming even eerier than before.

And, unbeknownst to him, for the first time since he'd arrived at the base, he was completely alone.

* * *

After watching the Nerds replace the bug from the day before, Dash and Kwan inched their way through the school hallways, sticking close to the walls, hoping to avoid the weird machines on the ceiling. Everyone nearby looked at them weirdly, but said nothing.

Amity Park was a messed up place. Everyone had a nervous breakdown, sooner or later.

The boys paused so Kwan could get something from his locker, as Dash pressed his back against the row of metal boxes and continued glaring at the invisible spy-machine three feet away. Then, Bethie Whitmire walked by with her friends, giving the blond a surround-sound performance of their entire conversation and everything leading up to it.

Apparently, Bethie liked Gary, but Gary liked Whitney, only Whitney still liked Rodney, even though Rodney dumped her for Sherri. But, according to Cammie, Sherri was just using Rodney to get back at Sissi for stealing Hank from her, so Whitney _totally_ still had a chance. _But_ , according to Lisa, Gary was delusional and should realize that Bethie was the one for him and that Whitney was a waste of his time.

 _||Man, how do girls keep up with this stuff?||_ Dash wondered.

Kwan waved a hand in front of his face, again. "Dude?"

The quarterback shook his head in an attempt to clear it. "Huh?"

"So, what do you think?"

"About what?"

The dark-haired jock sighed in irritation. "What I've been trying to say all morning. We figure out your powers. Then, the nerds. Then, how to get back into the A-Listers," He repeated slowly, for the umpteenth time. Dash had put a lot of effort into making sure he paid attention that time, and he really had heard every word.

But, then Paulina rounded the corner.

* * *

Kwan sighed, watching his friend oddly, as his eyes lost focus. It wasn't like Dash to just zone out, like this. What if it happened during a game? It could cost the whole team. It could turn the other A-Listers even further against the blond. And, against Kwan, because he hung out with him.

Sighing again, the dark-haired teen turned in the direction his buddy was now staring, only to spot a very evil-looking Paulina on the other end of the hall, flanked by Star.

Okay, so maybe Dash had good reason to zone out, this time. But, it was still getting to be a major pain. Kwan always thought superpowers were supposed to make life easier, not drive you crazy.

He turned back to Dash, who seemed to be getting angrier the closer the girls got. Kwan watched the Latina, obviously afraid, as he and everyone else should be. But, by the time she got close, Dash was _glaring_ at her. Of course, this did nothing, since Paulie had her nose in the air, completely oblivious, and Dash's new powers didn't involve laser-vision. Unfortunately.

Finally, after what felt like forever and a half, the queen bee and her satellite were gone, but the blond jock continued staring after them. "...Dash," Kwan prompted.

"I'm not going back to the A-Listers," His friend said suddenly. "She's not worth it." Then, he set off towards their next class, angrily inching his way down the hall. "I don't know why I ever thought she was."

* * *

The Crew met up in the room Ray was in, fifteen minutes later, finding the short man examining what looked to be a _tome_ stuffed in a manila folder. "What's that?" Dave asked, joining him, covered in soot, but laces now retied. The adults looked around, as a strange noise echoed through the building.

Then, it faded away, and they shrugged it off.

"Dunno," His friend admitted, scooting the file over and motioning for the others to gather round and have a look. "I found it in that drawer over there." They did, Toby looking over from the opposite side, using his odd ability to read upside-down, if only to annoy his sister.

The group did their best to understand the more scientific terms used. But, even with incomplete knowledge of the subject, it seemed that this file was some kind of theory, and it seemed that it's goal was to prove that ghosts were real.

Suddenly, the strange noise returned, growing louder quickly.

"Ellllliiiiieeee!"

Everyone in the room turned to see the little, grey boy from the day before zoom in through one of the walls. He jerked to a stop, seeming to have run into something, though there didn't seem to be anything there. He floated above them, rubbing his head and looking frantic. He looked down at the humans, eyes wide and hands moving to cover his mouth, seeming to have just realized he'd shouted.

Next to him, they heard a sigh, before the kid's friend popped into the visible spectrum, also rubbing her head. So, that's what he'd hit. "Are you spying on us!?" Dave demanded, standing.

"Actually, we were trying to see how long it would take for you to figure out that ghosts are real," Ellie noted blandly, Youngblood growing more and more panicked by the second.

"Sure, you were," Carrie said sarcastically, as the grey boy looked back and forth between the humans and his friend. "You really are some kind of holograms, aren't you? The Fentons sent you to keep us off their trail."

Dave nearly face-palmed. He had not wanted their theory out just yet. But, before he or anyone else could say anything more, Youngblood screamed, diving for the file. He grabbed one end, as Ray grabbed the other, Toby tackling both of them to the ground. Then, everyone was involved.

Suddenly, the humans jumped back in horror, as green flames licked up around Youngblood's hands, catching at the papers. Carrie yanked them away, trying to put out the fire, as the others pulled the kids off. It didn't work, and the humans quickly tried to remove the individual pages to save them.

Ellie looked at her friend weirdly, Carrie's arms around her waist, as Angela held onto Youngblood. He looked at her fearfully, before turning back to the file. Ellie got the message.

She blasted it.

Burning shreds of paper rained down around the room, the kids quickly repeating the action with the few pages that had been removed. Then, they turned intangible, phasing through the women restraining them, who shivered. Ellie looked like she might say something, but her friend grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the building before she could.

The humans stood around, breathing hard and filled with an incredible mix of emotions, one of them being betrayal, in Toby and Carrie's case. They'd actually _played_ with those kids. Those _things_.

They looked around for anything salvageable, but found nothing. The 'ghosts' had just _obliterated_ the entire thing, in a matter of seconds.

"Those..." Toby panted, looking to the spot in the ceiling the small figures had disappeared through. "Were **_NOT_** holograms."

* * *

Outside the building, Ellie continued to watch Youngblood, as he tried to calm down. She kept suggesting they go home and take a break, but he just kept shaking his head.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, he spoke. "That file said something about half-ghosts."

" _WHAT!?_ "

* * *

"You think they're really gone, this time?" Ray wondered, half-glaring at where the kids had been.

"Maybe," Carrie replied angrily. "But, who knows? They can turn invisible," She reminded bitterly, kicking a piece of something that she found lying in the floor. No one could tell what it used to be, but now it was completely charred and had what seemed to be _bullet holes_ and _claw marks_ on it. The Crew couldn't help but wonder if they'd gotten in over their heads, this time.

One thing was for certain, though. If they were going to finish what they'd started, they were going to need a way to level the playing field.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Please ignore any mistakes in this chapter. I have spellchecker, but I usually go over it myself a few times before posting. Only, I wrote a good bit of this today, (which is so unlike me,) so there might be some issues.**

 **Also, I know it's supposed to be 'Shutter Island'. I did that on purpose :)**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **Unprofessional Writer**

 **speedyowl152**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	12. 11: The Detector

**Chapter 11:**  
 **The Detector**

* * *

 **AN: Okay, so, everybody remember that warning from Chapter 35 of 'The Core Cold', when the Marines (and Clark) stormed the building? That's going to be brought back up here, though not in as much detail. It will also be addressed at various points in the rest of this fic, though.**

 **So, from here on out, keep your eyes peeled if you don't like: Guns, violence, death, torture/vivisection (I'm still too squeamish to write much, but I'm sure there are people more squeamish than me), etc.**

 **For those of you still with me, I hope you enjoy :)**

 **[For those of you** ** _not_** **still with me I hope you have enjoyed thus far :)]**

 **Anywho, on with the show!**

* * *

"We need to tell my parents," Ellie insisted.

"But, what if there's more stuff in there, and they find it while we're gone?"

"Then, we'll just call them, and stay to keep an eye on the investigator people."

"...Do you have a phone?"

"No," She deadpanned, pointedly holding out the _Fenton Phones_ he'd ruined when he'd tackled her into a mud puddle that morning. (They could handle massive ecto-blasts, but not water? Seriously?) "You?" She asked hopefully.

"Nuh-Uh."

"Okay, so I'll go tell them, and you can stay here and keep an eye on things."

"No!" Youngblood shouted, a bit too quickly, grabbing her hand. Ellie looked at him. "I-I can't watch all of them, at once," He argued.

"Youngblood, we can't watch all of them at once, even if we work together. But, if my family's involved, it'll help."

"But..."

"What?"

"...I don't wanna be in this creepy place alone," He admitted bashfully. "Those G. 's were _monsters_ ," He defended.

"C'mon, YB! Your powers? Against normal humans, armed with a _video camera_ and a _pencil_? You're the scariest thing in there!"

He looked up at her tentatively. "You think so?"

"Sure, I do!" Ellie smiled.

"I..." He began uncertainly. "Okay. But, hurry."

"I will," She agreed, as he released his grip and she flew away.

She glanced back at her nervous-looking friend, who was inching his way back towards the building. She paused. This place really did feel dangerous, even though it was empty. And, when she thought about it, it was all-too-possible that the Goobs In White had booby-trapped the place.

"...Or, y'know, if we hurry, we can probably both go," She suggested.

Youngblood looked at her, seeming surprised. Then, he smiled. "Okay." A burst of air whooshed past her, as his singsonged words faded into the distance. "~Race ya!~"

* * *

The Crew wandered down another abandoned hallway, not daring to stray off on their own, in case the 'ghosts' were still lurking around. After watching them destroy that file, who knew what they were capable of?

They looked in every nook and cranny, checked through every pile of debris, hoping to hit more gold. (Hopefully, fire-proof, this time.) There were rooms that seemed to have once held computers. Some that had the remnants of bedrooms and bathrooms. A kitchen, a cafeteria, a doctor's office of some kind, (though, none of them could identify the green stains on the walls and flooring,) a kennel, a stinking _greenhouse_ , and what looked to be a much-less-pleasant kennel. Metal cages of various size lined the walls of the latter, as well as the green stains and odd, coppery smell of the doctor's office. The color of the neon splotches looked a lot like the 'ectoplasm' in the pictures they'd found, and smelled just like the green goop that had coated Toby and Carrie after the incident in the park. - Maybe the G.I.W. had captured some of the 'ghosts' and tried to figure out what they were? - But, when it came to actual proof of anything that had taken place in the eerie building, they came up short.

Until they stepped into a room with a solid, steel door in one wall. The room, itself, seemed to be where a good deal of the take-down's violence had taken place. The same green stains, along with what looked an awful lot like blood, littered the walls, floors, ceiling, and everything else. The same ash and debris was present as in the rest of the building, but was joined by more of the claw- and scorch-marks, bullet holes, and other signs of major damage they'd seen in odd places around the base.

After checking out the room and coming up empty-handed, they set to work on the fallen shelving unit that blocked the large, steel door. It took around fifteen minutes and wore them all out. But, when they finally got it open, it was well worth the effort.

They stepped inside carefully, glancing around. "It looks like some kind of record room," Dave noted, shining his flashlight on what was left of another charred, shelving unit. Several more chunks of similar furniture and random scraps of paper too damaged to be read laid scattered about the area.

"If that's the case," Carrie started, kneeling down to check the tab sticker on a scrap of manila folder. Though, all it said was 'Scale 7 EP'. "They sure didn't want anybody to find what they'd recorded."

"Even at the cost of what looks like years of work," Ray added, zooming his camera in on the contents of a large, metal trashcan, which seemed to have been used to burn most of the G.I.W.'s files.

Suddenly, Angie gasped, scrambling back and grabbing her brother's arm. "What?" He asked, concerned, but she could only point at a spot on the ground.

A chalk outline. Lovely.

Further inspection revealed three more nearby. "I was standing in it," The redheaded woman croaked, leaning on Toby for support. "I don't know whether to be terrified or ashamed."

"Why would you be ashamed?" He brother wondered.

"Toby, whoever that was, he's _dead_. And, I pretty much just walked all over his grave."

"Wasn't it one of the bad guys?" Carrie asked.

"We don't know that for sure," Dave noted. "As far as we know, it could've been a fallen Marine," The bald man continued.

"Either way," Angela said, deflating, as Toby put his arm around her shoulders. "It just feels disrespectful."

"Just so long as whoever it was doesn't come back to haunt us," Ray muttered, snorting softly. Before anyone could reply though, his habit of not looking where he was going finally caught up with him. He tripped over a chunk of burnt something, falling into the side of the trashcan, which rolled into a wall. "Ow," The short man said, climbing back to his feet, as the others helped him up. Well, all but Dave, who was looking at the garbage receptacle oddly.

"What was that noise?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing," Ray snarked. "My face just attacked the floor. No big deal." He looked at his friend, who was now checking the area around the trashcan. "I'm fine, by the way. Thanks for asking."

Dave ignored him. "I heard something echo right here."

"Uh, D," Carrie began. " _Everything_ echoes in here."

The big man shook his head. "No. This was different," He insisted. He grabbed the side of the metal bin, rolling it back a few inches before slamming it into the wall. It did sound odd. He rolled it a few feet away, doing the same with a different section of wall. It did sound different. More solid.

The group looked at each other.

"No," Ray finally said. "No, no, no. I'm barely handling corpse outlines and possible animal-cruelty. If this place has secret passages, possibly filled with fugitive fake-secret-agents, I am _out_."

He was ignored, again. They all knew he was more curious than anyone else.

* * *

Danny grumbled, slamming his locker shut and rubbing at a sore spot on his head from his most-recent fight with the Blue Nuisance. It was only lunch, and Boxy had already shown up eight times. Well, Danny only had one question for him.

"BEWARE!"

" _ **HOW, THE HECK, DO YOU KEEP ESCAPING**_!?" He screeched, as his friends voiced similar, confused annoyance. Then, they all stopped suddenly, when they realized who the voice actually belonged to.

"Ember? What, the heck!?" Danny asked.

The _other_ Blue Nuisance wiped at her eyes, as her cackling died out. "Cool your jets, Dipstick. I heard you'd been having some trouble with a certain _square_ , and thought I'd have some fun with it," She grinned.

"Ember McClain!?" Mikey croaked. " _She's_ a ghost?"

"Sure, I am," She grinned. Though, the topic went no further than that, as Mrs. Fenton's voice suddenly came through the _Fenton Phones_.

"Kids, we may have a situation."

Danny brought a finger to his earpiece. "What's wrong, Mom?"

"Ellie and Youngblood just came home, saying that The Critical Crew found a file in the G.I.W. base that mentioned half-ghosts."

"WHAT!?" The group shouted, aside from Ember, who was left out of the conversation and just floated there, looking at them all like they were crazy.

"They destroyed it, but they want to go back. Danny, Dear, we need to know what they find, but I don't want Ellie and Youngblood going back there alone."

"BEWARE!"

The kids sent Skulker a deadpanned look, as he phased in through the wall, screaming. Ember patted his arm. "Too little, too late, Hon."

"Awww," The mechanical ghost pouted.

"I would say we could plant more bugs in the base, but we don't have that many left, and they only cover a very small area," Maddie continued. "Plus, with the authorities still investigating the area, it would put our spying at a greater risk of being discovered."

"Kid, kid!" Then, Johnny 13's motorcycle was in the middle of the school hallway.

"Okay, when did this become the supernatural Grand Central Station!?" The halfa asked, to no one in particular.

"The day _you_ showed up, Dipstick," Ember noted blandly. He ignored her.

Suddenly, the biker-ghost grabbed him by his shirt-front. "You gotta help me!" Then, seven _wrist-blasters_ were trained on him. Not that he cared. "Kitty's still mad at me -"

Danny held up a hand, cutting him off. "What'd you do _this time_ , Johnny?"

"I don't even _know_ , Man. She wanted me to stir up some bad luck for those out-of-towners that've been snooping around, but then the little Phantom and Youngblood showed up and started playing in the downpour from the fountain Shadow blew up. And, the humans joined in, and there was a flaming horse. Then, she just stormed off!" He rambled.

Danny sighed. He'd heard about that from his sister, but had fervently hoped it would blow over without his having to get involved. He had hoped for too much. "Okay, Johnny," He began, as Clark whispered something to the others. Then, Sam put a hand on his shoulder.

"Excuse us, one moment," She said, pulling him back, as the other ghosts looked at each other. The teens huddled together, talking quietly for a few moments, before Danny turned around.

"Okay, Johnny," He repeated. "I'll help you with Kitty, - And I'll spar with you between classes, since that seems to be your new, favorite hobby, -" He added, pointing to Skulker. "- And, whatever it is _you_ want, -" He pointed to Ember.

She shrugged. "I was just bored."

He nodded. "- if you guys'll help me out with something."

They looked to each other. "What did you have in mind?" The hunter-ghost asked.

"Those out-of-towners are investigative journalists," He explained. "They're here to get information on the ghosts in this town. Now, I have no problem with them proving that ghosts are real, since being told that I don't exist is getting really annoying. But, Ellie and Youngblood have been following them around, and they're getting dangerously close to our identities. Apparently, they're in the G.I.W. base, right now, and possibly almost got proof of half-ghosts. I don't like Ellie being in that place _at all_ , let alone without me. Who knows what those monsters left behind? But, we don't have much of a choice, and it's just the two of them trying to keep track of five humans. So, think you guys could help them out?"

The older ghosts had paled at the mention of the fake agents. But, even with them gone, the halfas still faced a similar danger at being discovered. (Heaven knew there were enough too-curious crazies in the world.) And, none of them would wish that on their worst enemy. Not even when the G.I.W.'s machine was still running.

They looked at each other, then at Danny. "Fine," Johnny agreed. "But, whatever you have planned to help me with Kitty had better work like a charm."

"I will need at least ten sparring matches, in return, to be held whenever I choose," Skulker bartered.

"So long as they don't interrupt my classes," Danny said. "Or, if they disrupt the class so much that I don't get detention for disappearing. Ember?" He asked, turning to the rocker.

She thought about it. "...Okay, Dipstick. But, you, _so_ , owe me."

The short teen smiled. "Thanks, guys," He said. Then, the group flew out the way they'd come in.

* * *

Toby, Angie and Carrie dug into their bags for screwdrivers and the like, positioning themselves around the 'door'. Meanwhile, Ray trained his camera on the area and Dave kept a hand on his pistol, just in case his friend was right and there _were_ murderous, lunatic fugitives inside.

Hey, if those stains all over the building were ectoplasm, essentially 'ghost-blood', what had the G.I.W. done to cause them? (Not to mention the stuff that looked like _human_ blood-stains in the other room.) It had seemed odd to Dave that they looked to have been keeping the ghosts in cages. But, it hadn't hit him why, until now.

If they were holograms, cages wouldn't hold them. If they were androids, why not just turn them off? Sure, it was possible that something was wrong with them, and they _couldn't_ be deactivated. But, what if Carrie's 'illegal, genetic experimentation' theory was right? What if these people _were people_? At least, at some point. Those 'kids' that had been following them around had certainly seemed real enough.

Either way, he wasn't going to let himself, or any of his Crew, - His _family_ , - wind up like that.

"Okay," Toby began. "One... Two... Three!" He and the girls popped the segment of wall open, and the sheet of metal fell to the floor with a clang. Ray squeaked and scrambled back, his curiosity and 'video vision' (as Toby called it,) having brought him a little too close. As usual.

They stared into the darkness for a few moments, listening for any signs of life, before shining their lights inside. It was another room. And, not just any room.

"It looks like some kind of weapons vault," Angie breathed, as they stepped inside. It seemed to be the only room that wasn't destroyed in some way. But, at least it was neat and open, so they could clearly see that they were the only ones in the little space. And, they could clearly see what was on the shelves.

Toby picked some kind of futuristic blaster up, examining it. "Don't look into the barrel!" Angie shouted, yanking it away from him. "You don't even know what it does!"

"Yeah!" Carrie joined. "What if it, like, melts your face off, or makes your eyeballs swell up until they explode, or something?"

"It shoots a laser," Ray suddenly said, from the other side of the room, where he had his camera pointed at some stuff sitting on a desk.

The blonde scoffed. "Naw, that's too boring. It's gotta be something weirder than that."

He looked at her. "No, seriously," He insisted. "Look." They walked over to him. On the desk was a large, open book. On one page was a picture of the exact device Angie was now holding.

"' _Ecto-Blaster_ :'," Toby read aloud, still looking at the page upside-down, much to his sister's chagrin. "' _Fires energy beams that harm ectoplasmic entities of all power scales_.'"

They looked at each other, before continuing, flipping through the pages and reading off the names and descriptions of every device.

 _Ectoplasmic Containment Vessel_

"Why does it look like a soup thermos?"

 _Ect-o'-Nine-Tails_

"That's almost as bad as 'ectopus'."

"I dunno. 'Ectopus' is kinda growing on me."

"It's terrible."

"It's not that bad, Ray. Just accept it."

"Never!"

 _Ecto-rang_

"And, that's third on the list of terrible names."

 _Specter-Detector_

"Correction. _That's_ third. The other one is now fourth."

"' _Specter-Detector:_ '," Dave read, leaning in by Carrie. "' _Able to detect the presence of ectoplasmic entities in the vicinity._ '"

"Wait," The blonde said. "So, this thing can tell you when a ghost is nearby?"

"That's what it sounds like, to me," Dave agreed.

"And, here it is," Angie said, stepping over and lifting the exact same device from the picture off one of the shelves.

"Turn it on," Ray half-demanded. "Are there any ghosts around, right now?"

The young woman looked it over. "How do you work this thing? Where's the 'on' switch?"

"Hold on," Her brother said, walking around to stand by Ray. He traced his finger across the page with information on the little machine, until he came to a note near the bottom. "' _For protocol and operations manual, see weapons file 'S', subsection 'T', section on tracking devices.'"_

Dave walked over to a filing cabinet nearby, opening a drawer labeled 'Weapons' and pulling out the file mentioned, flipping through it until he found a list of similar-sounding devices. "Ecto-Tracker, Ghoul-Getter, Manifestation-Finder," He muttered aloud, looking through the list, as Ray cringed beside him. "Here, it is. ' _Specter-Detector protocol information can be found in file 'P', subsection 'R'. Operations manual can be found in file 'D', subsection 'S'_.'"

Angie pulled this one out. She looked over the instructions, fiddling with the little device. Then, its tiny screen came to life. "Welcome to the _Fenton Finder_ ," A slightly-snarky, female voice rang out. "No ghosts near."

"' _Fenton Finder_?'" Ray wondered aloud. He sent the little machine a deadpanned look. "You officially have the least-terrible name, of all the ghost-related things in this town."

"' _Warning:_ '," Angie read. "' _This device is malfunctional, and cannot be reprogrammed to exclude the original voice track, despite the fact that it was never put into this model. We honestly have no idea how the Fentons made it do that, but can only assume it is some type of Copyright protection on their part. It is the most accurate ghost-locator in our arsenal, but its use is prohibited outside of the base.'"_

"...So, these guys were, like... Stealing technology from the Fentons?" Carrie asked.

"That's what it sounds like," Angie noted.

"And, it claims there are no ghosts nearby," Ray added. "So, does that mean we're really alone, this time? How likely is it that it's wrong?"

"Ghost detected," The little machine suddenly piped up. "There are five ghosts near."

The Crew looked at each other, then back at the machine.

"There is a ghost heading directly towards you... There is a ghost five hundred yards ahead of you... There is a ghost four hundred and fifty yards ahead of you... There is a ghost four hundred yards ahead of you."

The device continued in this manner, as the adults looked around anxiously, waiting for something to appear. Angie began looking through the instruction, again.

"What are you doing?" Her brother whispered.

"Trying to figure out how to turn it off," She replied.

"Why would we turn it off?" Carrie wondered.

"There is a ghost three hundred yards ahead of you."

"So, I can shut it off when they get here, so they don't know we have this thing," She explained. It was a good idea. If the ghosts didn't know they knew they were there, they could use it to their advantage.

"There is a ghost two hundred yards ahead of you."

"Hey, guys?" Carrie suddenly said. "Do you think the ghosts have some way of tracking us, too?" The group looked at each other, then scrambled out of the room, quickly replacing the chunk of wall they'd removed.

"Ghost has stopped moving. There is a ghost fifty yards ahead of you... There is a ghost fifty yards ahead of you... There is a ghost fifty yards ahead of you... Ghost's path has changed. There is a ghost twenty yards ahead of you."

Angie shut the machine off, and shoved it into her brother's bag, just before a strange, eerie chill swept through the air.

* * *

 **AN: Happy Fourth Of July, everybody! [And, to those of you not in the U.S., Happy Thursday!] :)**

 **Finally, I write a longer chapter!**

 **Again, please ignore any mistakes, as I wrote a good portion of this today. Having said that:**

 **WILL WHOEVER IS SENDING THE PROCRASTINATION-FAIRIES** ** _PLEASE_** **CALL THEM OFF!?**

 ***Ehem* Thank you.**

 **It has come to my attention since writing the first part of this chapter that, in some places, 'goob' means 'booger'. And, that works perfectly fine in the context I used it, as long as it's insulting the G.I.W. in a G-rated manner. Where I'm from, it's short for 'goober' ('peanut'), and it's almost like a cross between 'nutcase' and 'dweeb'. But, since I've never personally heard it used to mean anything but that, I just wanted to make it clear that, if it means something inappropriate somewhere, - *Shrugs* Who knows, right? - I did not mean it that way. :)**

 **Also, who can guess what 'Scale 7 EP' is? Or, what the inventions I had the G.I.W. rip off from the Fentons were? *Grins at my own jokes, like a goob***

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **speedyowl152**

 **Unprofessional Writer**

 **Misty Flare Frost**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	13. 12: With Remorse

**Chapter 12:**  
 **With Remorse**

* * *

 **AN: Dark suggestions in this chapter. Just for a few lines, but they're there and they're (sorta) important to the plot. Just a heads-up.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Shortly after arriving back at _FentonWorks_ , Ellie, Ember, Youngblood, Johnny, and Skulker had quickly headed back to the base. Then, having all been given new _Fenton Phones_ , they split up, searching for any of the human investigators.

Johnny went down one way, thinking he heard something. It grew louder as he approached. It sounded almost like people talking, though he couldn't make out what was being said, or even recognize any of the voices.

Stupid G.I.W. and their soundproofed walls that outweighed ghostly super-hearing.

Johnny stopped, mid-air, as the sounds shifted position. It had just occurred to him that the noises could have been some kind of G.I.W., booby-trap thing.

He floated there, listening for several seconds, as what sounded almost like big mice scurried to a different position, Shadow appearing and peeking in the noises' direction over his shoulder. The two ghosts looked at each other, then nodded.

They turned invisible, floating towards the sounds' new position cautiously. They reigned in as much of their ghostly creepiness as they could, in hopes that any agents possibly still in the building wouldn't be alerted as easily if the tell-tale, haunted feeling wasn't in the air.

Then, after some debating over who would go first, Shadow stuck his head through the wall.

And, when he pulled back to look at his best buddy, he was grinning.

* * *

Kwan was seriously beginning to wonder if Dash's new 'powers' were actually just his friend going crazy.

Of course, he'd been wondering that since the beginning. But, when you lived in a haunted town, it was difficult to be truly skeptical of _anything_. Sure, Dash could be loony. But, in Amity, it was just as possible that Dash was psychic, Sam was a witch, and Paulina was a demon.

Heck, for all he knew, Danny Fenton could be a ghost.

...Actually, a ghost living under the Fentons' roof wasn't that far-fetched. They were _terrible_ hunters.

His blond friend was huddled around a corner, listening in on the Nerd Herd. While Kwan agreed that something was definitely going on with them, - And, he _did_ want to know what, - he just couldn't figure out why Dash was being so serious about it. Or, why he was acting so out of character and mood-swing-y, in the first place.

As if to prove his point, his buddy suddenly stuck his foot out, tripping a passing nerd and began cackling.

Then, he stopped abruptly, helped the girl up, and began apologizing, over and over. What the heck?

Bethie looked at Dash with the same expression Kwan figured he'd had on since that morning, stammering something nervously before hurrying away. The blond sighed, leaning back against the lockers, unknowingly having just been _two inches_ outside of the ceiling-bugs' range.

* * *

Meanwhile, in _FentonWorks_ Maddie sighed irritably, rubbing at the spot where her headache was forming. Nearby, her husband sat at his own control panel, absently petting Marty and wondering if the kid that'd been hit really was from Elmerton, or if the beam really had hurt them and now they were out sick.

Of course, in either case, wouldn't they have told someone? Elmerton and Amity were bitter rivals, so why would the former pass up a chance to make the later look bad? And, if a kid had been made sick by the ray, why would they not tell someone, so they could get help?

...Unless they were afraid they would be treated the same way the G.I.W. had treated the ghosts they'd captured...

It was a legitimate fear, honestly. There were a lot of good scientists out there, who genuinely wanted to help the world. But, there were also a lot of bad ones, and well-intentioned ones who were willing to go too far.

"What if the kid's playing hookey?" He suddenly suggested, turning to his wife.

She looked at him, instantly picking up on his train of thought. "It's possible." She looked at her screen for a moment, practically glaring at it, as though it were the source of her problems. Then, she stood, looking at him. "I'll go get last year's yearbook."

* * *

Kwan stared at Dash weirdly, as the freaky, trip-laugh-help-apologize cycle was repeated, again. Was the guy having some kind of nervous breakdown? Was it that freaky ray's doing? It was like two different Dashes. The first one was the A-Lister king of Casper high, and the other acted like... Everyone else...

He grabbed the blond's arm, dragging him into a nearby restroom, causing the few freshmen who had been in there talking to run away, leaving them alone. "Okay, Man," Kwan said, looking his friend in the eye seriously. "What's the deal?"

The quarterback looked down... And, actually started fidgeting! "..."

" _Dash_?" He pressed.

"...So, I keep hearing this stuff..." He began slowly.

"... _Go on_."

The quarterback took a deep breath. "And, what if, like, I feel like maybe some of the kids we've been waling on have enough problems, without our help?"

Kwan blinked. "...I'm not following."

Dash looked up at him pathetically. Were those _tears_ in his eyes. "Like, what if, some of 'em already get waled on, sometimes? Like, at home, or by other people outside the school. And, what if, maybe some of 'em get in major trouble, if their homework gets destroyed? Or, when their clothes get messed up? Or, if they miss class, 'cause they're stuck in a locker or a trash can?"

Kwan blinked, again. "What are you saying? Are you saying you heard people thinking that stuff?"

Kwan didn't know what to do with that. If it was true, he should probably call the police. But, if his buddy really was going crazy, that'd probably just get _him_ locked away somewhere.

Dash nodded miserably. "And, what if, maybe some of them are already really sad, and we only make it worse?"

"You mean, like, they're depressed?"

Dash squeaked. "And, what if, maybe they're afraid of us, but not in a cool way? What if, like, they think we're monsters? Like, supervillains?"

Kwan didn't know what to think. Hearing other peoples' thoughts sounded insane, but _everything_ in Amity was insane, so that first part pretty much didn't count in the little city. But, if it was true, and they were using Dash's powers for evil, then he guessed they _were_ supervillains... He briefly wondered if that made him a sidekick or a minion? Before he could say anything though, another footballer came in.

Trent practically _glared_ at the two ex-A-Listers, a band geek hanging from his hand by the back of his shirt. But, after a moment, the brown-eyed jock went back to extorting lunch money from the smaller teen.

Dash watched them, while Kwan watched Dash. The blonde's fists clenched and unclenched. His face looked sad one moment, furious the next, scared occasionally, and _guilty_ inbetween.

Then, Kwan stepped forward, ripped the bully's arm away from his victim, and slammed him back against a stall-divider. "I think that's enough, Trent," The dark-haired teen said, seriously.

The slightly-taller jock scoffed, shoving him back. "Says who?"

"Says _us_ ," Dash said, joining him, blocking the A-Lister from leaving the stall he and Kwan were in.

Stewie, the kid who'd been, until recently, about to get pummeled, took this opportunity to run away. (Smart guy.) Trent tried to make for him, but Kwan stopped him. "Look what you did," He demanded. "He got away."

"Maybe, he should've never been un-away in the first place," The dark-haired jock said, trying to sound confident, even though he really didn't think 'un-away' was a thing.

"' _Un-Away_ '?" The other jock deadpanned, as Dash cocked an eyebrow at him. "Is that even a thing?"

"Doesn't matter," The blonde said menacingly, ignoring his confusion in order to come to his buddy's defense. "I'm still the king of this school, and I say that's enough."

Trent glared at him. "Oh, yeah? Well, enjoy it while it lasts, Baxter. 'cause, by the time I'm through, you won't even be king of the _nerds_." He jerked away from Kwan pushing past Dash and leaving the little room.

The other two just stood there, looking after him dazedly.

"...What just happened?" Kwan finally wondered aloud.

"...I dunno," His friend replied. They were quiet for another minute, before the blond turned to him. "...Wanna go find another stupid A-Lister and do it again?"

* * *

"There's Toby Lindt," Maddie noted, marking the boy off on her list. If they couldn't find the kid who'd been hit with the G.I.W.'s weapon with their sensors, they'd just have to find them by process of elimination.

"I've got Bethie Whitmire and Chloe Danver," Jack added.

"I see Chris Tory, Jamie Leroy, and Clay Martin."

"There's Paulina Sanchez... Hey, didn't Danny-Boy used to have a crush on her?"

Maddie made an unhappy noise. "It seems like it. But, I certainly hope he's gotten over that. She was polite enough, when I spoke to her and her parents at the last PTA meeting. - Certainly nicer than Pamela Manson, -" She added bitterly. "- but I get the feeling she's pettier than she seems. A mother always knows."

* * *

 **Well, a mother always knows, unless it's about her child being a half-ghost superhero, who is also her 'arch-enemy'... But, y'know, I didn't wanna go down that road...**

 **Maybe, later. *Grins***

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **This is the second-shortest chapter I've written for this fic. It's, like,** ** _maybe_** **two pages long. It is pathetically tiny. I think the only reason the file size is bigger than the first chapter is because of the author's note.**

 **So, why am I so proud of it?**

 **On another note, part of me wants to say that I initially thought Johnny and Shadow should show up as one ghost on the Crew's tracker because they should have the same ecto-signature, but I just hadn't originally intended for it to be Johnny who found the Crew, so I had to make up a reason why the machine didn't say, "There are** ** _two_** **ghosts fifty yards ahead of you..."**

 **So... Let's just pretend that that was well-thought-out, rather than lucky, okay? *Sheepish grin***

 **Seriously, though, I will try to make the next chapter longer than a paragraph. DX I have managed to defeat nearly all the of the procrastination-fairies, but a few are still bugging me. The bigger problem is now the horde of plot-bunnies that have begun bogging me down and I can't see through the fur to write down all the ideas and put them in the right order.**

 ***Reaches through pile of bunnies and barely manages to reach giant fly-swatter on the ground nearby.* *Hits button on the side of swatter-handle, dropping a big net that snares bunnies.* "I DON'T HAVE A BATTLE CRY!" *Jumps up, smacks fairy with swatter, and lands on a pile of captured plot-bunnies, triumphantly.***

 **Seriously, I'll try to make the next chapter longer. *Swats another stray fairy and puts on a chef's hat.* Anywho, there's a wedding reception Saturday, and my Mom and I are over the cupcakes, so... *Salutes, covered in cake batter, powdered sugar, plot-bunny fur, and procrastination-fairy dust* "CHARGE!" *Runs towards kitchen, brandishing a giant spoon like a sword.***

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **Unprofessional Writer**

 **speedyowl152**

 **GhostWriterGirl-1**

 **AppleTwinkle**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	14. 13: The Man With The Ghostly Gun

**Chapter 13:**  
 **The Man With The Ghostly Gun**

* * *

 **Try and guess what the title is hinting at. I bet you can't, because I doubt even I would've XD**

 **Anywho, enjoy! :)))**

* * *

Ellie grinned, as she flew towards the part of the Building Johnny was in. The older ghost had just told all of them his plan over the _Fenton Phones_ , and she was _so_ ready for this. She looked over at Youngblood, who floated beside her. He wore a smug smirk and was rubbing his hands together like a cartoon villain, giggling sporadically.

Oh, yeah. She was _so_ ready.

* * *

 _Five minutes later..._

Skulker brandished an enormous, glowing sword in Ray's face, and the short man ran screaming across the room, faster than any of the others were aware he could move. The pair kept disappearing around corners, only to come streaking back through every few minutes, with different weapons, different threats, and different expressions of glee and terror. They would grab the attention of everyone else in the vicinity for a few awkward seconds, then they would shoot back through a different doorway, their voices echoing all through the building with impressive volume.

If the Crew's lives hadn't been in danger, it would have been comical.

Meanwhile, Carrie and Ember were having some sort of sword-fight, only their 'swords' were a guitar and an old pipe. Dave was being double-teamed by Johnny and Shadow, who kept appearing and diving at him from all sides, every time he turned to escape. But, somehow, he kept managing to dodge their attacks, even though a few of the times seemed almost like happy accidents. Like, when the big man tripped, causing Johnny to tackle his friend by mistake. Or, when Shadow grabbed Dave's ankles and phased his feet into the floor, causing Johnny, who had been diving for their victim's head, to crash into the wall behind them.

Youngblood was trying his best to scare Toby with various, ghastly faces, which kept getting more and more elaborate. But, this only served to irritate the grey brat, since all the man did was laugh hysterically. Eventually, Toby actually started giving him suggestions, feeding the kid's already-enormous ego with pleads for more, and it ended up turning into a freakish game, both of them cackling loudly amidst all the supernatural chaos.

Ellie _had_ been trying to handle Angie. But, once the two saw how their respective friend and brother were acting, they couldn't help but stop and stare. They glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes, the mutual feeling of ' _Seriously?_ ' conveying loud and clear, without the need for words.

Everyone turned to watch again, as Ray and Skulker streamed through the middle of the strange scene. Only, this time, the brown-eyed man stopped, when Johnny finally managed to tackle Dave and the two fell into his path. He turned around, trembling, and the others in the room suddenly realized what was in his hand.

The _Ecto-Blaster_. How he'd gotten it, no one knew. The Crew was pretty sure they'd left it in the secret room, but the two obviously hadn't run through there, since the mechanical ghost's form would've blocked the doorway entirely and the room was a dead end.

...Y'know, unless the walls now had a new, Ray-shaped exit...

Before anyone but the ghosts could completely register what was happening, the short man fired. Skulker's head flew across the room, landing near a wall, his little feet kicking angrily, as his squeaky shouts arose from inside. Then, everything else stopped.

The humans watched the little... _Creature_? ...In stunned silence. Had there really been a tiny, green being controlling that big suit, the entire time?

Meanwhile, the ghosts were equally shocked, and the four elder of them looked at each other, silently coming to an agreement.

These people claimed to be there to investigate the ghosts, and they had G.I.W. weapons. This was no longer a game.

This was a _threat_.

Ember swooped down, grabbing her boyfriend's head and quickly instructing the kids to get the rest of his suit and follow her. They did, putting him back together outside the building, as Ember deflected all of Ellie and Youngblood's questions. Then, just as they got Skulker's head back on and the two younger ghosts were about to lose their patience, the Crew ran out in a panic, as the entire building began to shake.

The tremors stopped and the group of humans paused at the edge of the trees, looking cautiously at the ghosts on the other side of the clearing. " **And, stay out**!" Johnny warned, appearing just above the front entrance with Shadow. When they didn't make a move to leave, he sent a warning blast towards them, destroying the _ecto-blaster_ still in Ray's hand. The Crew jumped back, before they continued away from the building, as quickly as their mortal legs would carry them.

The biker-ghost turned to Shadow and nodded. The black blob nodded back and disappeared into one of the walls, as the shaking returned. Within seconds, the base began to crumble, and in only a matter of minutes, the entire building was nothing but rubble.

Which was fine by the ghosts. That place was too awful. It needed to be gone.

Ellie looked after the group of humans. Part of her didn't like the way the others had handled the situation, but they hadn't hurt anyone. (Even Ray's hand seemed fine.

The more important thing on her mind was where and how they had gotten that blaster. Or, _any_ ecto-weaponry, for that matter. She'd heard the group claim not to believe in ghosts, several times, so why would they even bother with supposed, 'ghost-fighting' tech?

She floated up off the ground slightly, turning to the others. "I-I think I need to go home."

* * *

At the edge of the woods that stood between the city and the base, the Crew finally felt safe enough to pause and catch their breaths. They looked at each other for a long moment. That was way too close. It wasn't the most-dangerous thing they'd been through since they'd started investigating any and all things out-of-the-ordinary. But, it was definitely the _strangest_.

The group remained in relative silence, for some time. Save for the sounds of their breathing and the occasional, rhetorical exclamation of, "WHAT, THE HECK, WAS THAT!?", among other similar sentiments.

Finally, Carrie, still leaning on her knees, turned to grin at Ray. "I can't believe you shot a ghost."

"Yeah," Toby joined, a bit less enthusiastically. "How'd you even do that?"

Ray, who was sitting on the ground, propped up against a tree, looked at him, seeming surprised. "Honestly? I have no idea," He replied, shaking his head. "I don't even remember doing it. I wasn't even completely certain it really happened, until you said that."

"So, what? It was just _luck_?" The blonde Crew-member asked, incredulous. "But, you're not lucky."

"I can have good luck, sometimes," He argued.

"No, you can't," Carrie, Toby, and Angie chorused blandly. Ray just groaned, sliding down the tree's trunk so he was lying on the ground.

He glanced up at his tallest friend, who had that terrifying, exhausted-yet-curious look on his face. "What?" He asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Dave looked at him. "You knocked the robotic one's head off," He said, as though it explained everything.

"Yeah," Carrie grinned. "Did you see those little feet? If it weren't so, completely messed-up, it would've been cute."

The big man shook his head. "No, I mean, why would an android need a battle-suit? Why not just build it with that body, in the first place? Why make it so small?"

"Unless that wasn't it's original purpose," Angela posed.

"Exactly," Dave agreed. The others looked at each other.

"So, you think, maybe they weren't intended to fight people?" Toby wondered.

"Why would the tiny one have a suit, and not one of the bigger ones? Surely, it would've been easier and taken less material to build one for one of the kids, or one of the adult-looking ghosts, than for a little blob," Carrie mused.

"Unless they _do_ have on suits, and theirs just look more human than that one," Ray added. "Maybe they're _all_ little blobs."

"Actually, come to think of it, they felt pretty real when I touched them," Angie said, shuddering, as Toby and Carrie nodded. " _Too real_. Besides, Carrie's right. I'm pretty sure making something that advanced, that small, would be a lot more complicated than making a full-sized one."

"If they can make an android thing that behaves that realistically, I'm pretty sure they can make a battle-suit that feels like human skin," Ray argued.

"And, maybe the blobby one was some sort of prototype, and they built the suit as a kind of add-on for it," Toby relented, seeming almost disappointed.

"Or, maybe," Dave started uncertainly. "They're not machines."

The others blinked. "What? You mean, like, you think they might be real?" Carrie asked, voice rising an octave. Of course, she did believe in that kind of stuff, to a degree, but she usually found it all pretty unlikely. In this case, though, she was beginning to wonder.

"I'm saying that they might be humans," He admitted. "Or, at least, _were_ humans, at some point. Maybe not the little blob, but the bigger ones certainly _act_ like people. And, when Ray fired that gun, they seemed _scared_. _Genuinely_ scared. What if the G.I.W. were doing something a little darker than what we're used to, in that base? What if that's why they were shut down? And, what if the Fentons weren't trying to monopolize on a power source, but were trying to hide a potentially-deadly substance from people who would use it for the wrong reasons? - That stuff spattered all over the walls of the base certainly _looked_ and _smelled_ like the 'ectoplasm' we've seen so far. - But, what if the Fentons failed to keep it a secret, and now they're trying to protect the 'ghosts' created by it from people like the G.I.W., who would use the stuff on living creatures, for their own purposes?"

The group thought about it for a moment. "...That's an awful lot of speculation, Dave," Ray finally said, propping himself up on his elbows. "Not that most of our investigations don't involve their fair share, in the beginning," He added, almost as an afterthought.

"It is," The green-eyed man conceded. "Maybe more than usual. But, I think we can allow for some unusual theories when we just faced down _flying people with laser-guns_ ," He reasoned, barely hiding just how frazzled he really felt. "That big, black blob one grabbed my ankles and I felt tingly all over. Then, it looked like the ceiling got higher and I couldn't move my feet, and I could've _sworn_ that they disappeared for a second. All I saw was concrete under my legs. But, I got distracted when the blond ghost flew over my head and hit the wall behind me. And, when I looked back, my feet were fine."

"That reminds me," Toby noted, pulling the _Fenton Finder_ / _Specter Detector_ thing out of his bag. "Anybody else count _six_ ghosts in the room? I thought the whatsit-do said there were only five."

"It did," Dave replied.

"How could you find the time to _count_ , WHILE I WAS BEING _MURDERED_!?" Ray half-screeched, at the same moment, losing his own pretend-cool.

Carrie scoffed. "You were _not_ being murdered. He was just chasing you in circles."

"WITH A _SWORD_!" The short man emphasized.

The blonde remained unimpressed. "Yeah, a sword that looked like it came from the _dollar store_. It was _green_ and _glowed in the dark_ , Ray. I'm pretty sure it was plastic. Honestly, you were probably in more danger of the big guy falling on you."

"IT WAS NOT PLASTIC, **I SAW IT SLICE THROUGH A CHAIR, AS THE _FLYING, ROBOT-MAN_** ** _CACKLED MANIACALLY_** ," Ray argued, waving his arms around.

"~Hello, Weirdtown, USA,~" Toby singsonged under his breath.

After the initial reaction to Ray's revelation, which mostly consisted of slight panic and arguments of whether or not he was hallucinating from panic, - "Because, you tend to do that, Ray-Ray." - they all went silent for several more minutes, all trying to calm themselves. Yelling at each other would get them nowhere.

Toby and Carrie looked over the weird tracker-thing, while Dave scribbled in his notepad. Angie worked on getting all the chunks of debris off of herself, before working on her brother, who didn't even bother arguing. It was a comfort thing for her. Meanwhile, Ray sat on the ground, glaring at his camera.

"Back to the five-versus-six ghosts thing," The short man finally began. "How good do you think the chances are we're alone?"

The others looked at him. "...Not sure," Dave admitted. "But, if we're all done panting in the dirt, I think we should get moving. We've got things to unearth, bigger than our rear-ends."

The group chuckled lightly at the joke, as they got up and dusted themselves off, heading back to where they'd parked the van.

Which was completely broken-down, again.

Wonderful.

* * *

 **Told ya this chapter'd be longer! :)))**

 **...Not by much, but it** ** _is_** **longer...**

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **It has come to my attention that I haven't made a Danny-centric chapter in a while. But, that's mostly just because he's at school, doing his thing, being bored in classes between fights with Boxy. So, hopefully, he'll be back soon, (like, maybe next chapter,) but for the moment I have no idea how I'm going to play this out. (I mean, I know where I'm going, I'm just not sure how many stops I'm gonna make along the way... If that makes any sense...)**

 **Also, I have gone back and fixed some mistakes in Chapters 10, 11, & 12, since I didn't do much editing before I posted them. So, they should look a little better, now :) Lemme know if I missed anything :)**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **speedyowl152**

 **Unprofessional Writer**

 **doomxdesire94**

 **Alviniju 07-12-2018**

 **Deathstroke42 07-13-2018**

 **doomxdesire94 07-14-2018**

 **Esined13 07-18-2018**

 **[That is** ** _so many_** **people! *Extra-Happy Happy-Dance*] You guys seriously rock! :)))**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	15. 14: Nerd By Nerd-West

**Chapter 14:**  
 **Nerd By Nerd-West**

* * *

The Nerd Herd and the Geek Squad stood outside the now-deserted school, watching Danny amusedly and not trying to help in the slightest. The halfa was sitting on the front steps, grumbling to himself as he used his hands, feet, and teeth to make sure the strip of ghost-proofed fabric his parents had invented covering the seam of the Thermos was extra tight, and the duct tape around the fabric was even tighter. The list of threats and murderous intentions that spilled from his lips went on for several miles, but about seventy percent of it involved the words 'box' and 'ghost'.

Tucker chuckled under his breath, leaning on Mike's shoulder and glancing towards the building in which the Blue Nuisance had appeared a record forty-eight times that day. Then, he paused. "Hey," He said, gaining the attention of everyone but the short, grumpy ghost before them. "Anybody else notice an incredible lack of people getting shoved in lockers the past few days? I mean, I know we said Dash and Kwan were acting weird, but what about the other footballers?"

This point was a good one. But, it never did get the attention it deserved, as the Thermos sparked, again. Danny yelped, dropping it once more, cradling one hand to his chest and glaring at the little device.

The silver and green cylinder fell to the concrete then bucked into the air slightly, as everyone around clearly heard a clang and an, "OW!" Quickly followed by a, "WHAT THE -?"

They watched the metal container hop up and down noisily, the ghost inside quickly becoming almost as irritated as Danny, as the humans and half-human all hoped and prayed that the new DIY seal held.

"OW! HEY! WHAT DID YOU PATHETIC HUMANS DO!? YOU CANNOT HOPE TO HOLD **THE BOX GHOST** FOREVER!" The blue creature threatened dramatically. Danny jumped up, cheering victoriously, as he retrieved the little invention.

Then, he heard words that, though were by no means the scariest thing he'd ever heard, he knew instantly would haunt his nightmares for the rest of his existence.

"JUST KIDDING!" Boxy crowed, as his prison sparked again, the halfa yelped again, and a blue mist slithered out from the confines of the Thermos. _Again_. He rose up from the ground, ectoplasmic flames licking up around him as he cackled maniacally. " **MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**! YES! _YES_! _NOTHING_ CAN STOP THE AWESOME POWER OF THE MIGHTY _**BOX GHOST**_!" He cried.

" ** _THAT'S IT_**!" Several of the kids standing around suddenly shouted, Danny's hands lighting up as the others drew ecto-weaponry of all sorts.

The ghost paused, looking at them confused. "Uhhh... See ya!" And, then he disappeared, leaving them all to blink in confusion.

Danny sighed. "I should probably go after him," He groaned reluctantly.

"Yeah," Val grumbled, as the two changed to their alter egos.

"We'll meet you guys back at _FentonWorks_ ," Danny called.

"You sure you don't need any help?" Clark asked.

"Yeah, dude, you look beat," Tucker agreed.

"Nah. We got this," Danny assured, looking to his red-clad friend. He turned back to the others. "Just, go fill my parents in on this and see if they can figure out a way to keep Boxy in one place. Before I murder him," He added irritably. The others nodded and the group split up.

* * *

Around the corner from the front doors of Casper High, Dash and Kwan stood, listening in quietly. They'd witnessed the most physically inept students in the school - Along with Manson, Gray, Danny Phantom, and The Red Huntress, - capture and recapture the same ghost so many times that day that they'd lost count before lunch. And, who knew how many more times it had happened while the jocks weren't around?

Now, the Nerds and Geeks were gathered outside the school, watching Fentoad grumble to himself while taping that thermos thing Phantom used closed. And, though they'd already known it was Fenton tech, there was no longer any doubt it was the exact same one Phantom used, since it was the same ghost that was escaping from both the most ecto-phobic human in town and the ghost-hero.

Who was apparently _friends_ with the most ecto-phobic kid in town...

Who was also the son of ghost-hunters...

What, the heck, was going on?

"Hey," Foley suddenly said, as everyone but Fentina turned to him. "Anybody else notice an incredible lack of people getting shoved in lockers the past few days?" Dash and Kwan looked at each other, surprised. Had people really started to notice, already? "I mean, I know we said Dash and Kwan were acting weird, but what about the other footballers?" Then, the jocks paled. So, the others knew they were acting different? But, they also hadn't mentioned mind-reading, so maybe what Dash heard Manson thinking the day before was just a fluke, and the Herd didn't know about that part.

Before the jocks could think about that point any longer though, they heard the tell-tale fizzling noise, followed by Fenton's yelp, that always came just before the Box Ghost's latest jail-break.

Only, this time, it didn't work...

 ***Clang***

"OW! WHAT THE -?" The blue-skinned creature shouted, as the sound of his head hitting against the inside of the weird device echoed around the schoolyard.

 ***Clang***

"OW! HEY! WHAT DID YOU PATHETIC HUMANS DO!? YOU CANNOT HOPE TO HOLD **THE BOX GHOST** FOREVER!"

Fenton hopped up, cheering, and even the jocks around the corner found themselves high-fiving. Man, that blue dude was annoying.

Then, all of that was destroyed.

"JUST KIDDING!" The strange ghost cried smugly, escaping once again. He hovered above the other group, giggling like a loon. " **MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**! YES! _YES_! _NOTHING_ CAN STOP THE AWESOME POWER OF THE MIGHTY _**BOX GHOST**_!"

" ** _THAT'S IT_**!" The jocks heard the other group shout in aggravation. Kwan glimpsed a couple of them producing weapons, seemingly from nowhere. But, then Dash was gone.

The dark-haired teen looked over to see Jordan Collins cowering by a nearby bus stop, Jason Warley grinning down at him menacingly, and Dash stomping towards the two menacingly-er. He ran over to join his friend, quickly scaring away Paulina's third-favorite pet lunkhead, before rushing back to where the Nerds were.

"We'll meet you guys back at _FentonWorks_ ," Danny Phantom called down to the group, in a surprisingly casual tone. The jocks looked at each other. Where had _he_ come from? And, the Huntress was there, too. And, where was the other Fenton kid? Come to think of it, where was Gray?

"You sure you don't need any help?" Clark asked. Dash and Kwan almost laughed at the thought of the short geek fighting anything tougher than a plastic bag. But, then they remembered him taking Box Ghost down, himself, that morning. It was nowhere near as impressive as Phantom, but it was still more than they'd expected the stout shrimp to be capable of.

"Yeah, dude, you look beat," Foley agreed. And, he was right. Phantom looked absolutely exhausted. Their poor hero gave so much of himself. They'd only seen him in the school once or twice that day, but he must've been of chasing some serious villains the rest of the time.

"Nah. We got this," The glowing teen assured, looking to the Huntress beside him. "Just, go fill my parents in on this and see if they can figure out a way to keep Boxy in one place."

"Phantom has parents?" Kwan wondered aloud, as the other group rushed off in different directions. "I mean, I know he _has_ parents, 'cause you gotta have parents to exist, right? But, like, are they still alive? Or, are they ghosts?"

"Yeah," Dash joined, confused. "And, why do the nerds know them? Why do they even know _Phantom_? I mean, I know Fentoad's and his sister have been slipping him their folks' gear, but wouldn't they wanna keep that quiet?" They turned to watch the retreating forms of the others. They really wanted to follow Phantom and the Huntress, but they couldn't fly so they probably wouldn't be able to keep up. "We're following the Herd, right?" The blond finally asked.

"Oh, yeah," His buddy agreed quickly. "I'm not gonna miss out on seeing Phantom's parents." They waited until the kids on the ground rounded the corner, before leaving their hiding spot and quietly hurrying after them.

* * *

By the time the group got to _FentonWorks_ Danny and Val had already captured and recaptured Boxy three times, relaying their success/failure/irritation through the _Fenton Phones_ the entire time. They had finally given up, and were currently just doing their best to keep anyone from getting hurt, (which wasn't too hard, since it was just Boxy,) while they waited on the Fenton parents to figure something out.

The kids sat around the living room, eating cookies and watching Marty bob around happily. The others laughed as the excited, little ghost flew over to Les, giving him a huge, ghostly lick upside the head. Marty, for his part, remained completely oblivious to the unhappy noise the teen made, before flying over and doing the same to Tucker, then Jack, when the big man entered the room. The latter was the only one who didn't seem to mind.

Meanwhile, Maddie sat on the couch, humming as she turned the Thermos over in her hands skeptically. She flipped open a panel, examining the device's electronics, poking at a few of them to ensure none of them had come loose, (since the kids had a habit of dropping the thing,) then closing it back. "I can't see a thing wrong with it," She finally said, then turned to her husband. "Where are Ellie and Youngblood?"

"They're decorating Ellie's room," The big man smiled. "I got our newest, little princess a magazine full of posters, and they're sorting through the bands they like and the ones that are 'lame'." Everyone in the room jumped, as a loud thud was suddenly heard upstairs. Then, they smiled, as they heard the ghost-kids' giggling echo through the house.

Then, Sam turned serious, again. "So, what do we do about Box Ghost?" She asked, looking to Mrs. Fenton.

"I'm not sure," The woman admitted. "In order to stop him from escaping, we'll have to figure out exactly how he's doing it."

"No!" Ellie laughed, running into the room, followed closely by her grey-skinned friend.

"~You love him! You love him!~ Mwah!" The boy teased, chasing his new bestie around with a poster of a teenaged boy on it.

"I do not!" She argued, though it was obvious they were both having a good time.

The green-haired boy held the poster over his face. "'C'mon, Ellie! Gimme a kiss!'" He mimicked, making his voice deeper to sound more like a teen.

Ellie mock-scoffed. "As if. I am _so_ out of your league," She grinned, brushing her hair back snottily. Marty gurgled happily, leaving his place between Sam and Clark and swooping through the room, tackling Tucker to the ground. Youngblood fell to the ground, clutching at his sides and cackling.

"Wait a minute!" Mikey suddenly shouted, the familiar laugh causing something to suddenly click into place. The others turned to him, and he pointed at the little boy accusingly. "This is the guy who helped kidnap all the adults in town, back in ninth grade!" Youngblood nodded and grinned smugly.

"He what!?" Clark asked, not having moved to Amity until after that. He'd been under the impression his friends had told him all their weird stories from before they met, but he should've never assumed any limits on the weirdness of Amity Park.

"You did?" Ellie asked, confused.

"Oh, chillax," YB smirked at the short, redheaded boy. "I was only playing. I needed a crew for my pirate ship, and I figured I might as well give the kids in this town a break from their parents, while I was at it." At this, Jack and Maddie sent him a disapproving look, to which he chuckled nervously.

"Speaking of Crews," Ellie interrupted, turning to her parents. "Did you tell the others what happened at the base?"

"No, i haven't gotten the chance. I was trying to figure out what's going on with the Thermos, since it's not holding The Box Ghost," The woman explained.

"Seriously? It can't hold _that_ loser?" Youngblood asked incredulously. "I thought you could pretty much capture him with anything, as long as it isn't square."

"Well, the Thermos is a cylinder, so that's not the problem," Jazz joined. "Maybe he figured out a way around it?"

"Maybe," Her mother mused. "Kids, you fill the others in on what happened this morning. Jack, why don't you come help me take a look at the Thermos," She suggested, as the two, tailed by Marty, headed down to the lab.

* * *

Dash and Kwan crept along behind the Nerds and Geeks carefully, as they headed towards the town weirdos' house. The other group chatted happily, but, to the jocks' dismay, said nothing revealing. "Why are they heading to Fenton's house?" The blond jock wondered aloud. "I thought they were going to see Phantom's parents."

"They must be going to that portal in the Fenton's basement. The one that goes to, like, the ghosts' world," His friend reasoned.

"Oh, yeah. That must be it," Dash nodded.

The larger group went inside and the boys crouched by one of the windows, peeking through carefully. They couldn't hear what was being said after the others stepped further away from the window, but they could still see. And, judging by the looks of things, the Fenton parents had stopped them.

The two ex-bullies paled. No, they weren't exactly friends with the other teens, but if they were helping Phantom it was good enough for them. And, the ghostly hero might have said that the ghost-hunters were warming up to him, but who knew what they would do if they found out about their kids sneaking him gear? From the looks of it, though, the others had come up with some kind of cover for it, and now Mrs. Fenton was trying to fix the Thermos.

"Man, that was close," Kwan noted, relieved. "I wonder what kind of excuse they gave her."

"I dunno," Dash began, before the two heard loud giggling coming from inside. Then, to their eternal shock, a little girl who looked like Danny Fenton ran into the room, followed by the ghost kid who'd kidnapped all the adults in town back in ninth grade.

It was so surreal. Nobody was even really reacting to the two. The ghost-hunters in the room didn't seem to care that there was a ghost chasing a little girl around their house, and the little girl actually seemed to be having _fun_.

"Wait a minute!" Holloway suddenly shouted. "This is the guy who helped kidnap all the adults in town, back in ninth grade!"

" _Thank you_ ," The jocks outside muttered, as the ghost kid grinned.

"He what!?" Reuben asked, seeming surprised. Oh, yeah. They'd forgotten he was a relative newbie to Amity Park.

The grey-skinned boy laughed something Dash and Kwan couldn't make out, then, for a moment, the Fentons almost seemed to get mad at him. Then, the little girl turned to them and said something else they couldn't make out, before she started telling the whole group about something that had her and the ghost kid all excited and waving their arms around as they seemingly tried to talk over each other.

Then, the boys heard a noise around the corner of the building, and found two weirdos whispering to each other in the alleyway. And, when they returned to the window, Dash sending strange, 'I'm-reading-their-minds-right-now-and-I-don't-like-what-I'm-hearing' glances in the adults' direction, and then Danny Fenton and Valerie Gray were in the room.

What?

"Seriously, _what_?"

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Haha! Even longer than last chapter. Barely. But, still longer. I'm so sorry these chapters have grown relatively short, but this one just** ** _did not_** **want to be written. And... I dunno. I don't really have much else to say about this chapter. Most of the interesting stuff won't come 'til next chapter. :( But, next week is not that far off. Especially for me, apparently, since I woke up yesterday completely convinced it was Tuesday. SMH. What is wrong with me?**

 **So, Duct Tape can do a lot of things, but apparently holding ghosts inside of stuff is not one of them. XD**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **GhostWriterGirl-1**

 **Unprofessional Writer**

 **Jadejem1**

 **CeleneTheAngel**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **As always,  
God bless, I hope you enjoyed, and please, don't duct tape your box ghosts! :)  
\- Ellie**


	16. 15: Near The Window

Chapter 15:  
Near The Window

* * *

"So, what do we do, now?" Carrie asked, for what seemed like the millionth time since they arrived in Amity Park, as the Crew regathered in the guys' hotel room. "I mean, there was obviously something in that base that was important, otherwise the ghosts wouldn't have destroyed it. Speaking of which, how did they collapse and entire building in a matter of seconds?" She wondered all-too-calmly.

"I don't know," Dave began, before Ray interrupted.

"Okay, before we go any further, can we go back to the ghost-detector thing?" He asked almost frantically. "Is it, or is it not accurate?"

"Okay," Toby started, thinking out loud. "The machine said five ghosts. I was with the little, grey kid. That's one."

"I had the blue-haired chick after me," Carrie added. "That's two."

"The little girl-ghost who was with me makes three," Angie said.

"The giant, flying robot with the arsenal of _glowing, deadly weapons who chased me around the_ _entire stinking building_ _and nearly made_ _ **me**_ _a ghost_ makes four," Ray piped up irritably.

"And, the blonde man and shadow monster who double-teamed me makes six. So, you were right, Toby. The machine was wrong," Dave finished.

"Unless one of them showed up after I turned it off," Angela pointed out, retrieving the little device from her brother's bag.

"I mean, didn't those notes about it say it was the most accurate detector those G.I.W. people had? Is that as accurate as it gets, or did one of the ghosts show up late to the party?" Carrie joined.

"Turn it on, now, and see if it says anything," Ray half-demanded. The redheaded woman fiddled with the controls for a moment, before the little gadget came to life.

"Welcome to the _Fenton Finder_ ," The snarky voice came through the tiny speakers. "No ghosts near."

The group watched it for several minutes, the detector reminding them every five seconds that there was nothing around. Until, its answer suddenly changed.

"One ghost near... Two ghosts near... There are two ghosts five hundred yards to your right."

As one, the group turned to face the window, which was on Angie's right. "Five hundred yards must be its range-limit," Toby muttered, as Dave crept over, peeking carefully through the curtains.

"Well?" Carrie asked.

"Do you see anything?" Angie added.

"That white-haired kid. The older one, not the little girl. And, the blue man from the park," The green-eyed giant replied.

"What are they doing?" Ray wondered.

His friend paused a moment before answering. "It looks like they're fighting. And, there's someone in a red and black suit riding a hoverboard. I think the red one and the white-haired kid are teaming up against the blue man."

"So, the machine is wrong, and there are three ghosts?" Carrie mused.

"I don't think the red one's a ghost," Dave noted. "She just got hit with a blast from the blue one and fell off her hoverboard. All the 'ghosts' I've seen so far can fly. But, that one just fell. The white-haired one had to grab her before she hit the ground. Plus, she doesn't glow, and she's using ghost weapons like the ones we found in the G.I.W. base."

"That robot guy used weapons on me," Ray pointed out almost angrily.

His friend shook his head. "Not like these. I saw that guy shoot lasers from his hands, just like all the others, when he was fighting the two white-haired kids, when we went to _FentonWorks_." Ray unconsciously shivered at the memory, muttering something about a Blue Demon under his breath. Toby snickered into his hand beside him. "I think the robotic one uses those weapons for fun."

" **WHAT ABOUT THAT IS** ** _FUN_**!?" The short man near-screeched. He was ignored, once again.

"But, these seem to be the only weapons the red girl has," The tall man finished.

"Actually, I think I heard someone at the comic book store say something about a 'Red Hunter', or something," Angie said. "Maybe the 'hunter' part means she's a ghost-hunter?"

"I don't remember that," Toby said, confused. "Where was I when you heard that?"

His sister sent him a half-lidded glare. "I believe you had your head in a barrel of bargain comic books, as you abandoned me for your 'treasure hunt'."

"Oh, yeah," The man dragged out, smiling dreamily at the memory. His sister Gibbs-slapped him.

"Back onto the matter at hand," Ray interjected. "So, does the tracker work, or not?"

They group thought about it a moment, as Dave glanced back out the window. "One ghost near..." The little device piped up suddenly. "No ghosts near."

"I think it works. They all just flew away," The green-eyed man finally announced.

"Okay, so we're alone? Like, _really_ alone?" The short man continued, seeming nervous. The others looked at him.

"I guess so," His friend shrugged. "Why? What's wrong?"

Ray pulled out his camera, the one for still photos, glancing around and looking out the window for himself carefully. He turned to Angela, pointing to the Specter-Detector. "Keep that thing on," He said seriously, before motioning for the others to gather around. "That file I found?" He began, as though asking if everyone remembered it, running through his pictures quickly.

"Yeah?" Toby pressed, standing over one of Ray's shoulders, as they all crowded around to see the tiny camera-screen.

"While I was waiting for you guys to get there, I got snaps of every page."

"What!?"

"What did it say!?"

"What were they hiding!?"

"What was so important about it!?"

This went on for several minutes, as the group ran back through all their theories, and Ray scrolled through his pictures, as though looking for a specific one. Finally, Dave stopped the others and Ray was finally able to speak again. They turned back to their short friend. "Okay, so there's actually a whole lot here," He began, growing visibly excited. "And, I haven't been able to go through it at all, until now, because I was afraid I was being watched and one of the ghosts would destroy the camera, just like they did the file. But, I did skim over some of the pages, while I was first getting the pics. I was under the impression I was completely alone, but I remember feeling a cool breeze hit my neck, just as I spotted the drawer the file was in."

"But, the building wasn't drafty," Toby noted.

"Exactly," Ray smirked. "So, I think one of those ghosts was actually behind me right then. Anybody else notice that creepy feeling that always comes from them being around? I dunno if it's radiation, or some kinda weird, static electricity, or what, but I don't like it."

"Yeah," Angie nodded. "I felt it when the kid-ghosts showed up at the comic book store."

"And, I felt it both times the ghosts showed up at the base," Carrie added.

"Right," Ray said. "But, it's a different kind of creepy from how that building felt. How _any_ abandoned building feels."

Dave and Toby nodded, "Kenopsia," They said together.

"That creepy sense you get from places that feel like they should be full of people, but are abandoned and way-too-quiet," The hazel-eyed man explained, when the others looked at them.

"And, heaven knows, we _all_ know _that_ feeling," Ray nodded.

"Like the front of my hand," Carrie agreed.

"It's 'the _back_ of your hand'," Angie corrected.

The blonde shook her head. "I don't know the back of my hand as well as I know that kenny-sopia thing."

" _Anyway_ ," Ray pressed, getting them back on track. "But, that wasn't there when I started exploring. I didn't feel that way until right before I called you. There was a creepy feeling in the air, but it was that one from the ghosts. I think one of them followed me. The building didn't feel abandoned, because I wasn't alone."

"But, they must've left," Dave concluded.

"Must have," His short friend nodded. "Because, I felt perfectly safe, until all of a sudden. It felt like I was someplace I should _not_ have been. Almost like I was in immediate _danger_. I thought I was just creeped out by some of the stuff in the file, even though it didn't make any sense. But, I think it _did_ make sense, and I think the ghost left to warn the others."

"I bet it was the grey kid," Carrie said. "That would explain why he flew in screaming the little girl's name, a few minutes later. He must've been looking for her."

"Yeah," Toby agreed. "I think their names are Elsie and Blood-Kid, or something like that. What did you find before he left?"

"Do you remember what I said after the Blue Demon attacked me?" Ray asked, in place of an answer, turned the screen of the camera back on, having already found the photo he was looking for.

"'Ow', along with a lot of unhappy, grumbly noises," Carrie said boredly.

The short man half-glared at her. "Yes, but I meant after that."

"Ray, Buddy, you still haven't stopped," Toby pointed out.

"Whatever," The brown-eyed man said irritably. "When I said I thought the Fenton kid and the Phantom kid were the _same_ kid."

"I remember," Dave nodded. "What about it?"

Ray held out the camera to them. They read as best as they could on the tiny screen.

"Half-ghosts?" Angie asked incredulously. "Is that even a thing?"

"I've seen stuff about it in manga before," Carrie noted. "I think they call them 'hanyo', which is used to mean 'half-ghost' or 'half-monster'. But, I think the literal translation is something closer to 'half-wierd'."

"So, Toby's a hanyo?" Angie asked blandly.

"So, Angie's a hanyo?" Toby asked, at the same time.

The siblings glared at each other mildly.

"Guys," Ray said, before the two could get started. "I found this page, and three seconds later I felt seriously scared and completely alone, for the first time since we got to the base."

"So, you think the Fenton kid really _is_ the Phantom kid?" Carrie concluded.

The man shrugged, seeming almost embarrassed. "It's possible. We've seen weirder. And, I'm still not certain they're actual ghosts. If they really do have battle-suits on, it could be he's got two different ones he can switch between," He reasoned almost defensively.

Dave looked thoughtful. "It's worth checking out."

"It is?" His friend seemed surprised.

He nodded. "Definitely. I've been wanting to look deeper into the Fentons, anyway."

Ray and Angie paled, as Carrie and Toby cheered. "You don't have to go," Dave said, pointing to Ray. The man instantly perked up. "Mrs. Fenton doesn't like you. It would only draw attention," He added, causing his over-dramatic friend to sulk and mutter angry things under his breath. The tall Crew-member pointed to the siblings. "Toby, Angie, you're gonna have to go undercover, again."

The brother grinned, as the sister deflated. "To the egg-machine!" The man-child grinned, grabbing Angie's hand and pulling her towards the door.

"You'll need new disguises," Dave called after them, as they paused. "I'm pretty sure they'll recognize you more easily, now. So, they'll have to be good."

"On it!" Toby mock-saluted cheerfully.

"Someone shoot me," Angie groaned, saluting along with him.

"Meanwhile, the rest of us are going to go over that file and make backup-backups, just in case," Dave continued. For the first time since the subject had been brought up, Toby looked torn.

"You'll get to look over the weird, secret files, too. Let's just get this over with," His sister said irritably, dragging him out into the hall before his imagination could turn it into something bigger than it was.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, after a trip to the thrift store, the comic book store, and that egg machine with the freaky, temporary tattoos outside the supermarket, Toby looked like a giddy schoolboy. He practically _skipped_ along the sidewalk, as he headed towards _FentonWorks_ , his sister trailing along behind him miserably.

Angie, for her part, had insisted she pick the costumes this time, much to her brother's disappointment. Her choices were much more subtle. She wore a tan raincoat over a floral sundress, along with a grey wig, floppy hat, and sunglasses.

Toby, meanwhile, had on a trenchcoat over jeans and a plaid shirt. A pair of bifocals covered his eyes, and he'd even molded himself a new nose out of some play putty he'd gotten from a _different_ egg machine, when he noticed it was almost _exactly_ his skin-tone. Angie had to admit, it looked pretty real, and would likely help hide his identity, but what was with the quarter-toys in this town? Her brother had already spent five dollars on the tattoo machine, covering his entire left forearm in them. She was just thankful his sleeves hid the odd 'art'.

As they approached the strange building, they ducked into a nearby alley, peering in through one of the windows. Inside, Mrs. Fenton sat on the couch, fiddling with what looked like a soup thermos. "Wasn't there something like that in the base's files?" Toby wondered aloud.

"I think so," His sister agree.

Around Mrs. Fenton sat a large group of kids and the ectopus from the park. "So, what do we do about Box Ghost?" A goth-looking girl asked, her voice barely audible through the glass.

" _Box Ghost_?" The siblings mouthed at each other incredulously.

"I'm not sure. In order to stop him from escaping, we'll have to figure out exactly how he's doing it," The Fenton matriarch replied. Before the siblings could think too much about that, a little girl ran into the room.

"No!" She shouted, followed in by the little, grey-skinned ghost. Toby and Angela looked at each other. This little girl sounded just like the ghost-girl, but without the distinct echo in her voice that all the ghosts they'd met had. In fact, she kinda _looked_ like her, too, if they changed her hair- and eye-color. And, she hung out with the same ghost-boy.

"~You love him! You love him!~ Mwah!" The grey kid sang, chasing the girl with a poster of some teen star.

"I do not!"

"'C'mon, Ellie! Gimme a kiss!'"

"As if. I am _so_ out of your league," The girl teased.

Suddenly, the ectopus flew up and across the room, tackling a dark-skinned boy with glasses to the floor. The grey kid fell down, cackling, as Toby covered his mouth and did his best not to do the same.

"Wait a minute!" The short, redheaded boy shouted. The others turned to him, and he pointed at the grey kid, seeming almost angry. "This is the guy who helped kidnap all the adults in town, back in ninth grade!"

"What!?" Toby and Angela whisper-screamed.

"He what!?" A stout, dark-haired boy inside asked, at the same time, as the grey kid nodded, seeming almost proud.

"You did?" The little girl, - Ellie, apparently, - asked, seeming confused.

"Oh, chillax. I was only playing. I needed a crew for my pirate ship, and I figured I might as well give the kids in this town a break from their parents, while I was at it." The Fentons didn't seem too happy about that one, and the boy looked nervous.

"Speaking of Crews," Ellie interrupted, turning to the Fenton parents. "Did you tell the others what happened at the base?"

"No, I haven't gotten the chance. I was trying to figure out what's going on with the Thermos, since it's not holding The Box Ghost," Mrs. Fenton explained.

"Seriously? It can't hold _that_ loser? I thought you could pretty much capture him with anything, as long as it isn't square," Grey-Kid interjected.

"Well, the Thermos is a cylinder, so that's not the problem. Maybe he figured out a way around it?" The Fentons' daughter suggested.

"Maybe. Kids, you fill the others in on what happened this morning. Jack, why don't you come help me take a look at the Thermos," Her mother said, leaving the room with her husband and the ectopus.

"So, we followed the Crew to the G.I.W. base, and I followed Dave, and Youngblood followed Ray," Ellie began.

"So, she _is_ the ghost-girl," Angie whispered.

"She must be one of those half-ghosts," Her brother agreed."

"And, it was absolutely _boring_ ," The grey kid, - Youngblood, - picked up. "Until Ray found this drawer with a file in it that talked about half-ghosts. So, I left to find Ellie -"

"- Only, by the time he found me, the entire Crew had met up back where Ray was," The girl picked up. "So, YB flew in and ran into me, -"

"- Sorry, -" He interjected, almost sheepishly.

"- No problem, -" She said.

"- Only they heard us, so I tried to take the file from Ray, before he could show the others, -"

\- Hey!" Ellie suddenly shouted, a thoughtful look on her face.

"What?"

"How come they could see you? I though grown-ups couldn't see you."

"Huh," Some of the other kids asked.

The boy folded his arms, grinning smugly. "I have the power to turn invisible to just adults, and not kids and childish adults. But, I can still let them see me, if I want to," He explained.

"Actually, I'd been wondering about that, too," Angela noted. "When I could suddenly see him, I thought it was because you'd dragged me down to your level."

"Hey," Her brother complained. Just then, a mouse ran past their feet, and they jumped in surprise, falling over a trashcan.

* * *

"What was that?" Lester asked, looking towards the window.

"Probably just a stray cat," Jazz noted. "so, you destroyed the file, right?" She asked, turning to her sister.

"Yep!" Ellie grinned.

"Blasted it to smithereens!" Youngblood added.

"I think we're pretty safe, on that front," The youngest Fenton continued. "YB said Ray was just skimming, anyhow, so he probably didn't really see that part."

"Well, still, we should be extra-careful," Sam warned. "Especially around the Crew." The others nodded in agreement. That was way too close for comfort.

* * *

At the odd sound around the corner, Dash and Kwan crept over, spotting two people one the ground.

 _ **||Great. Now they probably know we're here,||**_ A voice the blond assumed belonged to the woman echoed, unbidden, in his mind.

 _ **||So, is that little girl the Fentons' kid? I didn't know they had another one. And, if she's really a half-ghost, does that mean her parents did this to her? Or, is one of them a ghost?||**_ A male voice joined.

Dash paled, pulling Kwan back around the corner, before they could be spotted.

* * *

The siblings climbed up from the concrete carefully, peering in the window to see if they'd been noticed.

Only, something was off.

"Were there that many kids in the room before?" Toby asked quietly.

"Tob', you know I'm not as good at that kind of thing as you. All I know is that's a lot of teenagers. I couldn't pick most of them out of a line-up, if my life depended on it," His sister replied. He ignored her, counting in his head, and reexamining the people inside, after the number came up different.

"That's the Fentons' son. The one Ray thinks is a half-ghost. And, I don't know the girl in the yellow tank-top. But, neither of them were there before. Do you think they, like, walked through the walls, or something? I've seen other ghosts do that." He gasped. "Can a ghost turn a human intangible? That would be so _cool_!"

" _Or_ , maybe they just came from another room," His sister pointed out reasonably. She was ignored.

* * *

 **AN: FINALLY, A DECENT-SIZED CHAPTER! I AM** ** _BACK_** **BABY! XD**

 **Hey, everybody! :)**

 **So, yeah, the Crew's onto some pretty serious stuff, there. And, so are Dash and Kwan. And, Team Phantom's pretty much unaware of just how much either of them know. XD I am so evil.**

 **Now, who's gonna figure what out first *Grins evilly***

 **If you don't know what Gibbs-slapped means, search for a video of it online. It's from NCIS, which I love, but do not own... Just like Danny... *Sobs in the corner, wishing for my own Ghost-Boy***

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **Unprofessional Writer**

 **Sunny Freedom**

 **LokiKingOfMischief**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	17. 16: Mental On The Amity Express

**Chapter 16:**  
 **Mental On The Amity Express**

* * *

Wednesday evening, after leaving _FentonWorks_ , Dash paced his bedroom floor as Kwan sat on the edge of the bed, both deep in thought. (For possibly the first time in their lives.) The two teens had never felt so troubled.

"So, lemme get this straight," The dark-haired boy finally started. "You think those weirdos we saw in the alley are the same weirdos we saw in the _Nasty Burger_ , Monday."

The blond nodded.

"And, you think they know that the Nerds and the Geeks are helping Phantom."

More nodding.

"And, you think that they're out to sabotage them."

Nodding.

"Because, you think they're secretly working with the G.I.W."

Nodding.

"And, you also think that Sam is either a natural telepath, or she was the other person that got hit with the G.I.W.'s ray, which seems to have given _you_ telepathy, and that's why you can hear her thoughts better than anyone else's."

Nodding.

"And, you think the weirdos are planning to kidnap her for experiments, and that they'll find out you've got powers, too, - And/Or, that you're the other one who got hit, - and they'll drag you both off to some secret, underground, government facility, to be tested and tortured the rest of your mortal days."

Nodding.

"And, you've gotten all of this from a few clips of peoples' thoughts that you caught while we were outside _FentonWorks_.

The blue-eyed jock shook his head slowly, looking as pale as half of Amity's 'residents'. "Dude, it makes so much more sense, when it's coming from someone else."

As much as Kwan wanted to argue, to call the entire thing ridiculous and laugh it off, it was looking more and more likely, the more he thought about it. He supposed it was still possible that Sam really was a witch, but wouldn't that fall under the category of 'stuff the G.I.W. wants to catch', too? And, what if witches, like, got their powers _from_ ghosts? What if the stuff everyone called magic, was just them stealing a ghost's powers? He had to admit, once he started really thinking about it, some really weird stuff started to seem like it probably should have been obvious, all along.

"...I believe you," The Asian boy finally said, and his friend seemed relieved. "So, what do we do, now? Do we help them, or try to keep a low profile, so they don't figure out who you are?"

The blond thought about it a moment. "I dunno, Man. Maybe both? I mean, I don't wanna get caught. - After seeing those pictures on the news, I don't want _anybody_ to be caught by those freaks. - But, what if Manson knows about me, already, and they, like, torture it out of her?"

Kwan paled. It was a major possibility, as awful as it sounded. "So, we're protecting Manson, now?"

"Dude... I think we're protecting the _whole Herd_ , now," Dash noted. "The Trio couldn't keep a secret from each other, if their lives depended on it. And, if _they_ know, the others have to. They couldn't hang out with 'em so much and not figure it out."

"Maybe that's _why_ they've been hanging out so much," Kwan pointed out. "Maybe the geeks figured out about Manson, too."

"Maybe," The quarterback shrugged. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

The next morning, Dash climbed on the bus, quickly finding his best friend and sitting next to him. Far, _far_ away from Paulina and Co.

He sensed the mean girl glaring at the back of his head, long before Kwan noted it, but refused to turn in that direction and give her the satisfaction. Who did she think she was, trying to intimidate him? She weighed, like, eighty-five pounds, and he weighed a hundred and thirty. He could _sit on her_ and shut her up. Heck, he could practically just _step_ on her, if he could find some big-enough shoes.

Thankfully, though, glaring seemed to be all she did, and the ride remained oddly peaceful. Well, for a few minutes. Then, the bus stopped on Oak street, several kids boarding it and sitting down.

Except for Clay Martin, Trent Corbin, and Jason Warley.

The three new footballers glared at the other two, who glared right back. The non-A-Listers in the bus all stared and tensed.

 _ **||You think you're so tough, don't ya, Baxter?||**_ Trent thought, hatefully.

 _ **||Think you can tell the rest of us what to do? Think you still rule the school?||**_

A nervous-looking freshman cowered in the seat next to where the older boys were standing. Trent glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

 _ **||Well, I'll show you.||**_

The jerk's hand whipped down, yanking the younger kid up by his shirt-collar. Dash was on him, like the Fentons on some guy in a bed-sheet.

He ripped the freshman from Trent's grip, dropping him back in his seat and wrenching the other jock's arm around behind his back, before pinning him to the floor. He thought he heard someone shouting, but whoever it was, they would have to wait. By the time he realized what he was doing, Kwan had started in on the other two, the rest of the kids on the bus were in a total uproar, and the driver was doing his best to get the situation under control.

 _||Yeah. Good luck with that,||_ The blond thought, glancing over to his friend, who grinned at him, seeming half-nervous and half-excited. The teens around them were going crazy, fighting with each other, cheering for those fighting, yelling at others to stop, or trying to hide from it all.

Dash felt something wet and looked down to find blood on his hand. Apparently, he'd broken Trent's nose. (Not like the butt-face didn't deserve it.) He would likely get detention for it, - You could get away with bugging other kids, but A-Listers and Footballers were pretty-much off-limits, even to other A-Listers and Footballers, - but he didn't really mind. Manson and her friends were almost always in detention, so there was that. No, he wouldn't wanna be there alone with the odd group, but, judging by the bus-driver's expression, everyone in the whole school would be staying behind that afternoon.

He took a moment to watch the chaos surrounding him, with a kind of morbid curiosity. Then, he noticed Paulina. Opposite isle, three rows back. Even Star was trying to duck behind the seats for protection. But, Paulie was just sitting there.

Calmly.

As things flew around her head.

Arms folded and glaring at Dash, like he'd just stolen her latte.

And, as everyone knew, as of the coffee debacle of August, 2005: The penalty for touching Paulina's latte was slow and painful death.

Dash glared back at her, while, on the inside, he debated whether he should be angry or worried. Yes, his ex-girlfriend might've been selfish and self-centered, and she might've _acted_ like an airhead at times. But, though no one would ever call her a genius, she was far from stupid. No. Though she didn't show it often, she was the _dangerous_ kind of smart. The kind that could cost grown men their jobs, and leave them begging in the streets, in an hour's time.

But, the blond didn't have too much time to dwell on that, as the vehicle stopped at a red-light in front of the town's only hotel, and his mind was suddenly filled with a thousand voices. He climbed to his feet quickly, reaching over a cowering sophomore to look out the window behind him. Manson and the rest of the Herd were just outside, apparently walking to school together.

That explained it.

The unbidden words in the jock's head grew louder and more jumbled, the closer the possibly-a-witch got.

And, then, he heard an all-too-familiar voice mix in with. From what he could tell, it was the man from the alley, the day before. He was far away and muffled by the thoughts of people standing closer to the boy, but, for some reason, Dash could still hear him. Sort of.

 ** _||...Fenton... Little girl... White hair...||_** The man's words glinted through the jumbled mess in the blond teen's mind, as he tried to pick them out of the rest of the insane amounts of chatter surrounding him.

Suddenly, both of the adults from the alley appeared through the revolving doors at the front of the hotel. Then, the man noticed the Herd, who was nearing the front of the bus now, - _Taking their sweet time about it_ , - and yanked his friend back behind a tall, potted plant.

 ** _||Secret... Can't be real... Just like that issue of_** ** _The Crimson Chin_** ** _... Some kind of... Couldn't be... Half-ghosts... Glowing sword... Ray is such a drama-queen...||_**

Suddenly, Dash's attention was wrenched away from the adults, and dropped squarely back on the teenaged chaos inside the bus, after he felt something move near his ankle. The blond struggled to move, as he saw Trent beginning to climb to his feet, but the overwhelming noise inside - As well as outside - his head, was absolutely _paralyzing._ _Suffocating_ , even. And, it hurt like heck, too. He was absolutely certain, if he didn't die of not-being-able-to-breathe first, the noise would shatter his skull from the inside.

Trent got halfway up, was knocked back to the ground by someone's lunch that had suddenly flown through the air, then stood up completely, angrier than before. His obvious goal was to punch the frozen quarterback in the jaw, but, before he could, Kwan stepped in. The linebacker yanked a backpack full of heavy textbooks off the floor and smashed it over the jerk's head from behind. The A-Lister's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground, unconscious, as the Herd finally rounded the corner, the two weird adults trailing along behind them.

Dash calmed slightly, finally able to breath again. His head was still full of jumbled nonsense, but it was already beginning to fade away.

Then, after a moment longer, he realized he could move again and rushed over to Kwan, who had just decked Manny Whitmire, grabbing his arm and dragging him off the bus. The two could still hear the driver, - Who had not only turned off the vehicle, but had actually joined the fray in an attempt to stop it, - screaming at everyone to knock it off.

 _||Again, good luck with that.||_

The two teens outside the bus had no doubt the others would be after them any second. But, then, miraculously, the door shut and locked. Clay stood on the other side, banging on the window with his fists. Dash and Kwan looked at each other, grinned, then started making faces at him.

Then, Dash noticed the weirdos and the Herd were getting further away, and grabbed his friend's arm, dragging him after them.

The two wandered along behind the strange-and-possibly-dangerous adults, the dark-haired jock figuring out what they were doing, the instant he saw them. He obviously wanted to follow closer, but Dash was way too nervous about Manson. He wanted to know more, but he still felt sick from the absolute insanity that had just flooded into his brain. So, he waved his friend on. "Go on ahead. I need a minute," He admitted quietly.

"Bro, I don't know that we _have_ a minute. They're already a good ways ahead of us," The dark-haired teen whispered, glancing at the adults several hundred yards away. "What's wrong?"

The blond made an unhealthy noise. "I think I'm allergic to thinking," He slurred, leaning against a nearby wall.

"Dude, that is _way_ too easy."

Dash blinked, realizing what he'd said, then shook his head. "I mean, I think I'm allergic to hearing other people's thoughts," He corrected. "There were so many on the bus, when Manson went by, it's making me feel sick."

Kwan gasped. "Manson's here, too?"

His friend nodded, obviously miserable. "Just ahead of the weirdos."

"So, we're following them, following the Herd?"

Before he could answer, the blond found himself upchucking in a nearby dumpster. After a moment, he stopped, sliding down a nearby wall and hugging his knees. His friend moved to help him, but he waved him off, shaking his head. "Go keep an eye on them. I'll catch up."

Kwan looked between his buddy and the group who were now about a block and a half away. They could practically see the school from where they were. "Okay, Man," He said uncertainly. "But, call me, if ya need me." And, with that, he sprinted off.

Dash just sat there a moment, trying to focus on anything other than how awful he felt. Then, he remembered he'd heard the weirdos thinking, and tried to remember what they'd said - Er, thought. Something about...

 _The Crimson Chin_ _? That lame super hero, who actually thought red spandex was a good idea?||_ The miserable teen thought, barely able to hear himself over the ringing in his ears.

 _||Wait. Why are my ears ringing?||_

He looked up. That wasn't in his head, it was real. And it was coming from the direction of the school.

"Oh, shoot!" He shouted, hopping up. Then, he paused, leaning against the wall, as a wave of major dizziness came over him. After a moment, he pulled his phone out, checking the time. He'd been sitting there fifteen minutes!? He gave himself another moment to get his bearings, before hurrying off towards the large, brick building. Whatever had gone down with the Herd and the weirdos, Kwan would just have to fill him in later.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Sooo... I have absolutely no idea where this came from. Yeah, I had the general idea that it would be Dash following the Herd, but this kinda grew legs of its own and danced away... So, that should be fun to work with! Fictional, ghostly congo-line!**

 **And, apparently, Dash has had some sort of epiphany. Not sure exactly what all he heard, but it must've jumpstarted his brain for a second XD Don't worry, though, that should be temporary :)**

 **A little on the short side, but I've decided I might be pushing myself too hard. I shouldn't try to force a chapter to be a certain length, if it's better split in a different place. It could mess with the flow of the story. So, I will try to make longer chapters, but some might not be the 3,000-4,000 words I usually write. :)**

 **As for what actually** ** _happened_** **in this semi-short chapter, I can't believe I'm finally to the really interesting part! I've been theorizing about how this could go for** ** _months_** **, - Actually, wow, almost a year, - and I can't wait to show you guys my plans! *Evil cackle, as lightning strikes behind me* So, this should be fun. :)**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **Unprofessional Writer**

 **speedyowl152**

 **Janelle22**

 **SkreeSkraa**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	18. 17: Several Angry Humans

**Chapter 17:**  
 **Several Angry Humans**

* * *

"Ugh," Sam groaned, as she and the others walked towards Casper High together. She glared down at the sparking chunks of metal in her hand that had previously been her _Fenton Phones_. Just as the group had passed the park, Box Ghost had shown up, Skulker had come out of nowhere and tried to help handle him, and somehow the mechanical ghost had gotten himself thrown into a fire hydrant, dousing several members of Team Phantom and ruining at least six of the little communicators.

Danny had already agreed to fly home and grab more during lunch, to which the others responded with a vehement, "No way you're missing another meal!" So, they'd just called Mr. Fenton, who said he'd have to make some more of them anyway, since they didn't have enough spares, and would bring them down to the school, himself, once he was finished.

Sam didn't know why, but she felt like she was being watched. And, she'd felt that way all morning. But, it wasn't the 'there's-an-invisible-ghost-standing-right-next-to-you' kind of being watched. It felt more like she was being noticed more by the other _humans_ in Amity Park.

Her first instinct was that it was because of the way she dressed. But, that wasn't it. The people in town were more than used to her style. She'd been wearing black almost exclusively since the sixth grade. Then, she thought it was because their group had grown so large, but that wasn't it either, since one guy started staring at her while everyone was busy trying to handle Boxy. Sam had finally given up and started storming over to the man to find out what the _heck_ he found so interesting, when he suddenly screamed and ran away. He must've been running from Skulker, though, since that was the moment he fell from the sky and destroyed the fire hydrant, which was directly behind the vegan girl.

Finally, though, she shrugged off her bad mood, as they rounded the corner of the Amity Hotel. None of the others had noticed anyone acting strangely, so she was probably just being paranoid.

The group paused a moment to look at the school bus, which was bouncing up and down and seemed louder than usual. But, after a moment, they shrugged this off, too. There was a reason they preferred to walk. So, the eight teens continued on their way, falling back into casual conversation, as their goth friend rejoined them.

* * *

Paulina sat at her desk, completely ignoring the teacher, as she plotted out the first stages of her revenge. Meanwhile, Star sat next to her, reading over her shoulder. She thought the whole thing was stupid, - So, what, if Dash was looking at Jazz? Everyone knew he had a crush on her, just like everyone knew Paulina had a crush on Phantom. - but she had to admit that some of it was pretty funny. So, she would go along with her best friend, if only for the laughs. As well as to curb her more - Ehem, - _overenthusiastic_ plans.

Lancer turned his back to write on the board, and the blonde leaned over to the Latina, pointing to number five on the list. "I love the idea, but you might wanna rethink it a little," She whispered. "As much fun as it would be to see Dash with a beard of bees, I'm pretty sure he would freak and die of being stung too many times."

Paulina looked at the note in question a moment, almost looking as though she would argue. But, then she nodded sagely and scratched that idea out, snickering quietly as she replaced it with another. She turned the paper towards Star. The blonde looked at it a moment, grinning, and nodded her approval.

Oh, yeah. That was _much_ better.

Suddenly, the entire room looked up as Dash walked in, looking like that time he'd eaten fourteen slices of pizza on a dare. Not pretty.

Star glimpsed Paulina grinning evilly at him, out of the corner of her eye, and almost felt bad for the guy. But, then she saw number seven on Paulie's list, and all that went away. He would be fine.

Sticky, but fine.

* * *

Dash walked into class stiffly, doing his best to block out the nausea, as well as the thoughts of the other people in the class. He didn't know whether or not he should be relieved that he couldn't understand any of what was being said. More than once in the previous few days he'd heard some of the nerdier kids thinking about what an absolute monster he was, and he really didn't care for an encore. But, the fact that he couldn't understand the thoughts meant there was a lot going on inside his skull, and that was making it hard to understand what was being said out loud, too.

Which is why it took him around three minutes to hear Mr. Lancer telling him to take his seat. He looked at the man, then at the empty desk next to Kwan. He had no problem sitting next to his buddy. That's where he'd rather be. But, it was two rows down from a very evil-looking Paulina, and three across from a bored-looking Manson.

He knew he should be looking out for her, but if her effect on him was this strong from fifteen feet away, how much worse would it be from seven?

" _Mr. Baxter_ ," Lancer prodded again, growing increasingly impatient. The blond teen turned to him, then back towards Kwan. Finally, he took a deep breath, steadied himself, and walked over like he was marching onto the football field for a game.

 _||Look confident. If you_ _look_ _confident, you'll_ _feel_ _confident,||_ He told himself. He'd never had this much trouble just sitting down, before. But, thankfully, the thoughts weren't too overbearing. Not as much as on the bus. He figured the kids in the other classrooms were either too far away, or having walls between them was muffling the sound. And, once Lancer got started back up, it was all mostly just a drone of random thoughts of the bored kids in the room. Almost like lunch, but not as loud. Which was _much_ better than before.

* * *

Sitting near the back of the room, Sam raised an eyebrow, glancing at her friend, as Dash grew more and more pale. He looked absolutely terrified. And, for a moment, she thought she saw him looking at _her_.

But, then, Valerie was right beside her, and the Huntress _had_ hung him from the goalpost by his shoelaces just days before, so it was probably that.

 _||I mean, I know I've threatened him for bullying Danny and Tucker and for being a snobby jerk, on more than one occasion, but I've never actually_ _done_ _anything to him,||_ She thought. All those people looking at her must've been a coincidence. It _had_ to be.

* * *

Things continued through first period rather calmly, aside from the odd looks Mike noticed he and his friends were getting. After class let out, the Herd walked towards their lockers, and the short redhead ran to the end of the hall towards his, since it was further away, and in the opposite direction from where the group was headed. He grabbed his books, as the others waited for him, and was about to head back over, when he was stopped by Stu. The two talked for a few minutes, since Stu had been a mathlete like Mike before giving it up to join the marching band, and they were still pretty good friends.

Then, several giant hands grabbed them from behind. Mike looked around to find himself surrounded by grinning footballers. And, the grins were most definitely _not_ friendly.

But, that didn't really matter. Because, for the first time, Mike wasn't left completely helpless against the bullies. Which, the bigger teens quickly realized once they noticed that _they_ were surrounded, too. By the Nerd Herd, as well as _Dash and Kwan_ , of all people. It was starting to get around that the two were turning over a new leaf, but, this was just _bizarre_.

Not bad. But bizarre.

And, then, Mike's feet were on the floor again, as Dash punched Jason in the gut. The redhead watched in a daze, as Valerie slammed Clay and Jamie's heads together. Meanwhile, Sam yanked the empty take-out cup from Tucker's hand, - Since the group had actually had time to stop for the incredible pancakes they served at _Nasty Burger_ in the mornings, before heading to school. Something that almost _never_ happened, because ghosts. - and dumped the leftover ice from the bottom down Trent's back.

Mike had no idea why the jock looked like he had a broken nose, and he didn't really care. The dance he did, trying to get the cold slush out of his shirt was just too good. He and Stu joined Tucker over to the side. The techno-geek didn't even grumble about his cup being stolen, as he pulled out his PDA and started recording, the other two doing the same with their phones.

As the other footballers quickly went down, Danny and Clark dove for Manny's ankles, causing the jock to trip before he could help his friends. Finally, looking completely lost, Les pulled a large text book from his bag, and slammed it over Chris's head, knocking him out. Then, Chris toppled over on Manny, before the slightly-shorter teen could get up and attack Danny and Clark.

The Nerds and two remaining jocks looked around awkwardly at the crowd that had gathered around them. It was suddenly _very_ quiet.

And, then the entire hallway was cheering.

" _Ehem_." And, then they quieted again, as an unhappy voice sounded nearby. Lancer, Tetslaff, and Mrs. Hamilton stood to the side, arms folded and expressions less-than-joyful.

" _The Prisoner of Cell 25_ , what is wrong with the people in this school, today?" He shouted. "First, you turn the school bus into a mobile war-zone, and now _this_?"

"ALRIGHT! PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE! NOW! _ALL O' YA_!" Tetslaff ordered, the tiniest glint of pride in her eyes.

As the groups stood and trudged off towards the office, the teachers ahead of them, Trent shoved Mikey back into a locker to get by him.

He didn't know what came over him. He really didn't.

Maybe it was that he was tired of all the things he'd put up with over the years. Maybe it was the thrill of not being the victim for once. Maybe it was the trauma of the previous week catching up to him. Or, maybe, as his father had been noting recently, he was starting to become his own man.

Whatever the reason was, it was still somewhat stupid, though. Mike shoved Trent right back. He must've still been off-balance, because the giant actually stepped back, when normally the tiny geek couldn't hurt him if he jumped up and down on his foot. Trent looked surprised, then enraged, then surprised again, as Dash put a hand on his should and glared at him, the others quickly moving to stand in front of Mike.

"Really? Again? It hasn't even been three minutes!" Lancer fumed, as the bell rang in the background. The man pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Corbin, please keep your hands to yourself," He added irritably, turning on his heels and continuing his march towards Ishiyama's office. Slowly, the others followed, Mrs. Hamilton pausing to bring up the rear and ensure this didn't continue.

* * *

After a very serious, hour-long talk about fighting and why it's wrong, - Which was obviously having _no effect_ on the jocks, whose sorrowful looks couldn't fool a kindergartener, - Ishiyama had started to call their parents. Only, she wasn't going to call the jocks' parents, just the other kids'.

Until Sam noticed her plan and pointed out that, if the adult wasn't going to call them, _she_ would. After which Tucker and Mike produced their phone and PDA, saying they had video evidence of everyone's involvement, and would not hesitate to go over her head and get the entire football team suspended.

Oh, after _that_ , Ishiyama was nothing but false cordiality and forgiveness. The jocks, not so much, since instead of getting off Scott-free, they had to sit through detention with everyone else, including the kids from the bus that morning. (Which had, apparently, ended in even more damage than the dodgeball war.) But, thankfully, no one's parents would be called.

As the Herd exited the office, they found Tetslaff standing just outside the door, hands on her hips. She stuck her arm out to stop them and glared down at them, as the jocks (again, minus Dash and Kwan,) snickered and exited the room behind them, Manny pausing to slap the back of Tucker's head and knock his berret down over his eyes.

Then, Tetslaff glared at _him_ and he hurried off on his merry, little way. The others looked after them, until the coach put a hand on Mike's shoulder, her fake anger completely disappearing. "Nice work, there, Holloway," She noted, quietly enough that the other teachers couldn't hear. Apparently, they hadn't been happy with her enthusiasm over the dodgeball debacle the week before. "Try and show some more of that backbone in class, from now on. You, too, Fenton. I didn't know ya had it in ya."

 _||Only because you don't know that Fenton and Phantom are one and the same,||_ Sam nearly snorted, smirking proudly, as the teacher went back into the office.

*Squeak*

She looked over to find Dash staring at her again. His eyes were wide, his mouth was hanging open, and, if he hadn't been making that irritating squeaking noise, she would've wondered if he was even breathing.

"Dash? Bro?" Kwan called, waving his hand in front of his friend's face.

"Uh... Dash?" Tucker asked, as Kwan began poking him to get his attention. Then, the blond was on the floor.

"...Did he just faint?" Clark wondered.

" _No_ ," Kwan defended. "He's just... Still really worn out from that math test we just took."

"You mean, before the fight?" Val asked, arching a brow.

"Yeah."

"That was _social studies_ ," She and Les reminded, in unison.

"Oh." Kwan seemed genuinely surprised. "I might faint, too."

Sam just rolled her eyes and dialed the nurse.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Yep! So, that happened! :)) And, I have nothing more to say on the matter, because I refuse to spoil *Grins***

 **On a completely different note, y'know what I noticed about my writing that I find odd? This fic started on a Monday. (In story, not in real life. I have no idea what day it was when I started writing this in real life.) It was Monday for four chapters, then it was Tuesday for five chapters, then it was Wednesday for six chapters, now it's Thursday and I have no idea how long that will last. I didn't do it on purpose, but I thought it was kinda cool. :)**

 **So, hopefully this odd observation has distracted you long enough to get rid of any and all assassination plots for me for leaving this chapter off here :D**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **Unprofessional Writer**

 **speedyowl152**

 **jiffy185**

 **TheFriendlySpecter (I love your screenname!)**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **I do not own** ** _The Prisoner of Cell 25_** **, or any of the** ** _Michael Vey_** **books. But, I do love them :) And, I love Lancer, 'cause he's fun to write. Especially his exclamations XD**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	19. 18: The Ministry Of What Dash Hears

**Chapter 18:**  
 **The Ministry Of What Dash Hears**

* * *

Jack Fenton sat in the living room of his home with his wife, both tinkering with the new _Fenton Phones_ they'd made up for the kids. Finally, with a pair of giant grins, they both finished. The completed products were passed off to Jack, while Maddie headed off to the kitchen to get a snack for the kids and Marty.

Both adults paused in their respective doorways, as they heard the aforementioned group giggling loudly upstairs. Then, they smiled at each other again. It was nice to have little kids around the house, again.

Then, they were both off, completely oblivious to the blinking light on the monitors down in the lab, doing its best to alert them that it had found the G.I.W. ray's other victim.

* * *

Paulina and Star grinned at each other from either side of the library door. Since Dash was in the nurse's office, they had decided to start with Jazz. Something small, to get themselves warmed up, since the redhead was smart, but not the most cunning person. A simple tripwire rigged up to a bunch of _Silly String_ cans on the ceiling.

Kwan watched them from behind, doing his best to listen in. Dash was still unconscious in the nurse's office, but he was fine so he'd been forced to go to class anyways. Did nobody care that that was his best buddy, in there?

Anyway, he figured it had worked out for the best, since apparently the Herd still needed protecting. So, despite the completely possible risk it posed to his life, just before Jazz could come out of the library and trip the wire the A-List girls had strung across the floor, he made a point to come barreling down the hall and 'accidentally' bump into them, so they tripped the wire, instead.

Then, they were covered in _Silly String_ , Jazz remained completely oblivious, and Kwan got to go to the nurse's office to wait for Dash. He had a black eye, a bruised ego, and possibly a ruptured spleen from the high heel that had been introduced to his gut, but it was worth it.

He hoped.

* * *

"Yes, General Holloway," Maddie said, smiling, as she held the phone to her ear. "Tuesday sounds perfect. We'll see you then." She smiled, as she hung up, lifting her coffee mug to her lips.

She couldn't help but be a little nervous, despite the fact that Clockwork had said the man could be trusted. But, if Michael, Senior was anything like Michael, Junior, then there wouldn't be any problem at all. The boy was an absolute sweetheart. If he was anything to go by, Ellie's adoption would go smoothly.

...Well, as smoothly as anything in Amity did...

Another crash sounded upstairs. "Ellie? Youngblood? What was that?" She called suspiciously.

Suddenly, her almost-daughter appeared at the top of the stairs, white hair sticking out in all directions. "Sorry, Mommy," For a moment, Maddie thought she might tear-up at the title. It was so heartwarming to hear. Especially, since the little girl sounded so much like Danny had when he was younger.

Then the moment was gone, as Youngblood ran in.

"Marty tried to lick a light-socket and got sent flying across the room!" The grey kid explained excitedly, seeming to have enjoyed the stunt a bit too much. She still didn't know about that boy.

"Well, be more careful, okay? Don't get hurt, and don't let Marty get hurt."

"Okay!" They chimed together, running off again, in a fit of giggles, the little ectopus floating along behind them, gurgling dazedly.

Maddie smiled, again. Everything would be fine. Vlad was gone, the G.I.W. was gone, Danny and Jazz were closer to her and Jack than they'd been since they were little, and her daughter would be officially theirs soon enough.

And, if the General turned out _not_ to be trustworthy, she was sure they could find a way to handle him. Hadn't Danny mentioned something about ghosts with the power to wipe people's memories? She could definitely see that coming in handy.

* * *

Trent Corbin sat in class, glaring at the board he wasn't bothering to read. How had Baxter gotten so lucky? Of all the times for someone to land on that switch thing that opens and closes the door to the bus, it had to be while he was stuck inside, and Baxter and Li were outside.

And, they'd had the nerve to make faces at him!

Of course, he'd sent a few unfriendly gestures back their way, that likely would have had the bus driver screaming louder, had he not been too busy trying to get two Freshmen off each other to notice.

In the end, the angry jock had spent a good ten minutes trying to find the stupid switch, and once he finally did, the bus was almost completely back in control, and the driver was screaming at him to get back in his seat or face expulsion.

 _Him_. An _A-Lister_. _Trent Corbin_.

The other kids had actually _laughed_ at him.

Well, he would show them. Within the next week, he was gonna rule the school. And, not even pretty, little Paulina would be able to tell him what to do.

And, his first order of business as king would be to take out Baxter, once and for all.

* * *

Lester ran towards the front of the school, having been the closest to the front doors and, therefore, having the best chance of making it there and back before the next class started. He paused only to grab his books from his locker, then hurried out to the Fentons' tank of a car, grabbing the new _Fenton Phones_ From Danny's father with a quick 'thanks', and rushing back inside.

There was some kind of commotion going on nearby, but he ignored it, (since there was pretty much _always_ a commotion _somewhere_ in Casper High,) heading back towards his friends. He met them back at Danny's locker, quickly passing out the little communicators, before they all split up, again. Well, at least the problem was taken care of. Most of them had been running around with only one earpiece most of the day, since they didn't want to leave anyone out of the loop.

He grabbed his books and headed off to his next class happily. Another crisis averted.

As small as the feat was in comparison to the stuff the others handled on a daily basis, he still felt like a superhero.

* * *

Kwan wandered out of his latest class, having been dismissed from the nurse's office _again_ , while Dash got to keep sleeping all day. Superpowers _and_ skipping classes? Kwan was almost jealous.

He rounded the corner, spotting Star standing nearby with a bucket of paint. And, before he could even put together what it was for, the liquid was outside of the bucket and flying towards Schwartz.

 _||No! I'm supposed to protect the Herd until Dash wakes up! How can I have failed already!? He's just one geek!||_

Only, he didn't fail.

Before he could completely process what had just happened, Schwartz had darted off towards the front doors and disappeared, leaving the paint to splatter all over the row of lockers he'd just left. Kwan walked over, looking at the dripping mess, before turning to Star. The girl stared at the colorful puddle as well, seeming just as surprised as Kwan was that Les could move so fast.

Then, the blonde shrugged, handed him the empty bucket, and walked away.

"LI!" Tetslaff's voice boomed, as she came out of a nearby room, a large group of kids appearing from all directions to stare at the no-longer-green lockers. Oh, boy.

Suddenly, Kwan spotted a blob of curly, red hair, as it came running back through the building. He hopped up, hoping to see better, and found that it was Lester.

And, he had some kind of little, metal things in his arms...

"LI!" Tetslaff repeated, regaining the teen's attention.

"Uhhh... Star did it?" It came out as more of a question than an explanation, despite the fact that it was the truth.

"GET YOUR BUTT TO THE JANITOR'S CLOSET AND CLEAN THIS MESS UP!" The irate teacher ordered. Apparently, this wasn't nearly as amusing to her as fighting and dodgeball wars. "THEN, GET YOURSELF OVER TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE!" _Again_?

He stared after the redheaded geek for a moment, then sighed. "Yes, Ma'am."

The whispered rumors around him were already loud, but he ignored them as he hurried off towards the nearest mop and broom. It wasn't his fault it just so happened to be in the direction Schwartz had run. And, it wasn't his fault if he took a moment to look at the little earbud-things the geek quickly passed out to the rest of the Herd. And, he totally didn't notice that the pictures beaming into his head from Manson suddenly stopped when she put the little, green and silver thing in her ear. He was absolutely hurrying, and definitely not stopping dead in his tracks to eavesdrop, or spy, or anything.

Why would you even think that?

Then, when Tucker headed off on his own, towards the boy's room, Kwan definitely didn't spot two of Paulina's entourage-girls about to pull a trip-wire of their own. - One that wouldn't have triggered anything more complicated than Tucker's face-plant into the floor tiles. - And, there was absolutely no chance he walked up between them and the techno-geek and stamped hard on the wire, yanking it out of their hands, so the distracted boy looking down at his PDA's screen could go by unimpeded.

Definitely not.

But, he _did_ hurry back to the paint spatter, as soon as all of that _did not_ happen, and spent half of the next class cleaning it up.

Bummer. Who knew protecting geeks was so much work?

* * *

"So, did you get any of the Herd with the paint bit?" Paulina whispered, as the teacher turned back to the board.

"No," Star replied. Her friend looked disappointed. "But, I'm pretty sure I got Kwan detention. Does that count?" She smirked.

Paulie smirked back. "It's a start."

* * *

"Dude, what hit me?" Dash groaned, as he came to.

"I dunno, man. You just, like, passed out in the hallway, after that lecture we got," His best friend said, sitting next to him. The blond looked around, realizing he was in the nurse's office.

Dash held still as Nurse Allison looked him over, before clearing him and sending him on his way. He and his friend continued creeping down the halls, no longer bothering to keep to the walls any longer, since they'd pretty much been all over those bug things during the fight. "Why would I just pass out, like that?" The blond wondered aloud.

"Beats me," Kwan shrugged. "You were fine, one second. Then, you just, like, froze. Then, you were on the floor."

"Man, hearing those voices from the bus must've made me sicker than I thought," He reasoned, still somewhat groggy.

Then, he heard the bell and spotted the Herd coming out of a classroom nearby. Upon noticing the larger group, a Freshman girl on the other end of the hall yelped and ran away, leaving Dash, Kwan, and the Herd as the only people around.

Then, Manson pulled some kind of earbud out of her ear and some very strange information entered his mind.

And, then, it all came crashing back to him. The bus, the weirdos, the fight, Manson...

He grabbed Kwan, rushing them around the corner. Manson would have to protect herself for a few minutes. He had a very important nervous breakdown to get to.

It was like he'd been trying to work a puzzle without all the pieces, then someone had suddenly appeared with the rest, dumping them into a pile on top of what he'd already put together. And, then, it all started magically coming together on its own. This changed _everything_. His eyes had finally been opened, and he couldn't understand how he'd missed it before. He'd thought those weirdos that had been following the Herd were crazy. So crazy he'd actually forgotten around half of what they'd been thinking that morning. But, if you really _could_ be half ghost...

* * *

Kwan didn't know why his life had to be so weird.

He didn't know why his entire town had to be weird. He didn't know why his best friend had to be weird. And, he didn't know why said best friend could suddenly hear people's thoughts, and Manson seemed to be able to upload pictures to everyone's brains. (But, apparently, that only worked when she wasn't wearing those freaky earpieces.)

All Kwan knew was that Sam had taken one earpiece out to adjust it, some of those pictures had just flashed by in his mind too quickly to process, and it had sent his buddy into a new kind of frenzy.

Suddenly, Dash grabbed him, yanking him back around the corner. The dark-haired jock yelped, but didn't argue. Sadly, he was getting used to this kind of thing.

Once out of sight of the Herd, the blond clutched at his hair, eyes wide, as he began to panic. "Dude, if you have to go that bad, just go, already, before you wet yourself," Kwan finally said, staring at his friend, as the taller jock danced in place. Dash didn't even defend himself. He grabbed Kwan's shoulders, slamming him back against the lockers and leaning in close.

"Dude," He whispered crazily. Kwan was completely convinced that his friend had finally gone off the deep end. "Half-Ghosts?"

 ***Blink***

"Come, again?"

"Vlad Masters is half ghost."

Kwan looked at him a moment, trying to remember the number for the mental hospital, just outside of town. It got a lot of business, thanks to Amity.

"...What?"

"Vlad. Masters. Is. Half. Ghost."

"Dude, I-"

"I had another vision-thing."

Kwan paused at this. "Okay, bro. Let's just think a minute."

"But, Kwan," Dash tried, dancing in place some more.

"Maybe you misunderstood."

"But, he -"

"Or, maybe some of these visions aren't literal. Maybe they're, like, metaphors or something." Dash let out a panicked squeak. "Or, maybe the video skipped, and Masters is gonna be _attacked_ by a ghost."

" _Video_? Kwan, I'm not a stinkin' **_DVD player_**!"

"Well, maybe -" It was Dash's turn to cut him off. He grabbed his friend, slamming his against the lockers, again.

"Kwan. Masters is the Wisconsin ghost. I don't know how. I don't know why. But, I know it's true." The dark-haired jock looked into his crazed friend's eyes as he spoke, and Dash gradually loosened his grip. "And, Danny _Fenton_ is Danny _Phantom_."

* * *

"So, we're absolutely positive Toby's 'mercury-in-the-water' idea is off the table, and we're not just suffering from the effects?" Ray wondered aloud, as the Crew walked through the woods back towards the rubble that was once the G.I.W. base. "Because, going back to the place where we were just attacked, before a being of apparently-incredible power collapsed the entire building in a matter of seconds, seems like a pretty mentally-unstable idea to me."

"Would you rather go back to the hotel by yourself?" Dave asked. "Because, we're going to need the ghost-detector, so you'll have to make do on instincts."

The shorter man shuddered at the thought of all the creatures that could be watching him, without his knowing. "No," He replied simply. "Speaking of which, is that thing on?"

"Yep," Angie replied, holding it up so he could see the screen over her shoulder. Man, she walked fast. Must've been nice having long legs. _He_ 'd nearly tripped over a pebble, before they were twenty yards from the van.

"I found the 'mute' button," Carrie grinned proudly, skipping up the hill backwards. The show-off.

Suddenly, Ray found his face in the dirt, again. He twisted to see what he'd tripped over this time, and came face-to-face with a glowing, green beaver, with three heads.

He screamed, like a little girl.

The others, - as well as the beaver-thing, - quickly followed suit, as the humans ran off up the hill, and the whatever-it-was hurried back towards its burrow.

After a few minutes of straight-out sprinting, - And, after Ray had managed to trip three more times, - the Crew finally paused to catch their breath. The shortest of them leaned back against a tree trunk, resting his hands on his knees, as he gasped for air.

"I. Hate. This. Town."

* * *

 **AN: Poor Kwan XD And, to a lesser extent, poor Ray XD**

 **Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Everybody: "Ellie, that is a terrible chapter title."**

 **Ellie: *Nods calmly* "Yes, I understand that."**

 **Everybody: "Where are you even getting these?"**

 **Ellie: *Grins evilly* "I have a list."**

 **So... This is kind of everywhere... And, I have nothing more to say about this chapter, because it just sort of happened, and even I'm not entirely sure where it's gonna go next! *Runs away, screaming***

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **CeleneTheAngel**

 **Janelle22**

 **GhostWriterGirl-1**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **I do not own** ** _Silly String_** **. Please, don't sue me :)**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	20. 19: The Honourable Schoolboys

**Chapter 19:**  
 **The Honourable Schoolboys**

* * *

"See anything?" Carrie asked dully, digging through some rubble that used to be a fake, government base.

Toby grunted as he finally managed to move the large slab of concrete he'd been trying to get past. It fell to the side with a loud thump, and the man's expression quickly morphed from victorious to disappointed. "Nope," He groaned in reply, as he stared down at the cracked tile and chunks of shattered porcelain that used to be part of a bathroom.

The Crew had been there twenty minutes, trying to find the secret room with the weapons and blueprints in it, but so far they'd found nothing but rubble. In their defense, though, there was very little still standing, and the place was huge even before it was a wasteland.

Irritated, Ray kicked a chunk of debris. It flew across the used-to-be-a-room, before disappearing with a loud crash. The group froze, turning in the direction the sound had come from, before creeping over to it and looking down through the hole they hadn't noticed before.

There was a basement.

They stared down into the black abyss for a long moment, before setting to work. Dave, Carrie, and Toby clearing the area as best they could, as Angie and Ray rushed off the the nearest hardware store, which was in the next town over. They would need supplies, if they intended to investigate further. There was really no telling what was down there, it definitely wouldn't be safe, and it was undoubtedly one of the stupidest things the group had ever done, but none of them really cared.

When ya gotta know, ya gotta know.

* * *

Danny walked towards his locker, completely exhausted. Boxy had apparently found it a good time to take a break, up until the end of lunch. No, he hadn't interrupted the halfa's meal again, - Even he wasn't that stupid, - but he'd certainly caused some problems. And, he'd apparently found a new favorite game in getting out of the Thermos without alerting anyone, so he could pop out and scream without giving them warning.

And, Tucker actually found it _funny_.

"BEWARE!"

Danny screamed, turning and slamming his locker door shut, hands flaring up out of instinct.

Then, he saw his best friend cackling on the floor, and his ectoplasmic fire went out. He was just glad there was no one else around to see. "I hate you." His friend just continued cackling, tears running down his face.

"BEWARE!"

Danny turned, expecting to find another 'friend'. "THAT'S NOT FUN-!" Then, he paused, noticing that it actually _was_ Boxy, this time. "I hate you, too."

The blue nuisance scoffed haughtily. "Uh, _of course_ , you do. I am a being most fearsome," He snarked, folding his arms and turning his nose up, as Tucker cackled harder.

"Oi," Danny groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Then, he smirked up at the other ghost slyly. "I hate to do this, Boxy, but you leave me no choice." He pulled out his phone, dialing one of the newest numbers in his contact list. "Hey, Skulker, wanna have a contest?"

" _What kind of contest, Ghost-Child?_ " The hunter's voice sounded through the little speaker. Danny could practically _see_ him trying to not look intrigued.

"Whoever can capture Boxy the most before the end of the day wins." The ghost in question paled, and the halfa's smirk widened. "I've already got him fifteen times, and Val's got him eight. Think you can do better?" He challenged.

" _If you wanted help containing the little abomination, all you had to do was ask,_ " The mechanical ghost replied, as though insulted.

"Sorry. I'm still on 'overly-cautious' mode," Danny admitted.

" _But,_ " The other continued. " _If you insist, I shall accept your challenge. My readings put the little troglodyte in your school. Wait. He's standing right in front of you._ "

"Yeah, I know. I'm about to get him. Unless you think you can get him before me or Val," The teen continued, glancing out the corner of his eye at the Huntress, who had just showed up with the rest of his friends. The girl looked confused for a moment, before her eyes lit up in realization, and she grinned toothily.

" _Very well, Whelp. I shall be there momentarily. Do not start without me!_ " He cried, before hanging up.

The entire group grinned at the now-pale 'villain' hovering before them, each pulling out their own weapons and readying themselves for what could possibly be the best ghost-fight they'd ever been involved in.

Then, Boxy screamed and bolted, and the chase was on.

* * *

Dash and Kwan peered around the corner, watching Danny carefully. Kwan still wasn't sure Dash wasn't just hallucinating about the whole half-ghost thing, but he was willing to give his friend the benefit of the doubt. (Anything was possible in Amity Park, after all.)

Then, Tucker screamed in an impressive imitation of Box Ghost, Danny's hands were suddenly covered in green fire, and the entire world exploded.

Okay, so maybe it didn't _literally_ explode, but it sure felt like it did, to Kwan. And, apparently, to Dash, too, if the dance he was doing was any indication.

He watched his friend a moment, in something akin to shock. "Dude, you really gotta get a new, nervous-breakdown dance, 'cause that one's just awful," He droned, before he'd even realized he was speaking.

Dash didn't reply, but did settle down slightly. "I've been walin' on my hero," The blond muttered miserably, eyes downcast.

"Okay, Bro, we still don't know for certain that he's Phantom. For all we know, he's just a _regular_ ghost," Kwan reasoned, fighting off his own bought of panic.

"Then, I've been walin' on a _dead guy_!" His buddy whisper-screamed, grabbing Kwan's shoulders and shaking him. "No wonder the others think I'm a monster," He lamented. For a moment, Kwan thought he actually saw tears in the other boy's eyes.

"BEWARE!" Then, all their attention was back on the other end of the hall.

They listened in awe, as Fenton actually _called Skulker on the phone_ , and challenged him to a _Box-Ghost-catching contest_. Then, Box Ghost screamed and flew off, the other kids giving chase.

"This is so surreal," The Asian jock muttered, about to follow. Then, Dash elbowed him, and he looked where his friend was pointing. On the other end of the hall, watching the Herd from the opposite side, was a group of A-Listers. And, they had water-balloons.

Dash and Kwan looked at each other, then at Mikey, who was lagging behind his friends, trying his best to keep up. And, the next thing they knew, they were on the front lines of a massive, prank war.

* * *

Danny ran towards Boxy, deciding against using his powers in the school unless absolutely necessary. Yeah, they were alone, (as far as he knew,) but he didn't want to take any chances.

Next to him, Sam and Valerie ran ahead of him, trying to get in front of the annoying creature. Boxy froze, screaming, as Clark and Tucker appeared in front of him. Then, he ducked and screamed again, as Skulker swooped down through the ceiling, grabbing for him.

"Hey! I told you to wait for me!" The mechanical ghost complained.

"We haven't caught him yet, just chased him a little," Sam reasoned.

"Yeah," Tucker agreed. "And, besides, we've only got three minutes before our next class, so we've gotta do this quick."

"Then, you can work on catching up with the rest of our scores, while we're in gym class," Les added.

"Very well," Skulker relented, picking up his pace and flying around the corner after his newest prey.

* * *

Dash watched in awe, as the group of nerds, geeks, and losers chased after the supernatural being that had destroyed the gym the week before. Then, he noticed the group of A-Listers on the other end of the hall, who seemed to be targeting Holloway, who was lagging behind the others, struggling to get his ecto-gun out of his backpack.

He got Kwan's attention, seconds before the other group leapt forward, heading for the smaller teen with an evil kind of glee. The kind he, until just days before, had enjoyed regularly.

He was moving before he even realized it, doing his best to block out the threatening thoughts his ex-friends were sending his way. An enormous water-balloon soared through the hallway, and he and Kwan both found themselves between it and the little geek.

The blond caught the balloon with his bare hands, holding it above his head, as the other group quietly skidded to a halt to stare at him. He was about to say something along the lines of, 'You want them, you're gonna have to through me,' but paused when he heard a soft clack behind him.

He glanced back, already knowing what it was, as the boy's thoughts suddenly mingled with the ones already filling his head.

 _ **||Can't believe Trent actually broke the zipper on my backpack. How'm I s'posed to help the others, if I can't even get to my stupid blaster?||**_

Then, the little earpiece was off the ground and back in his ear, his voice faded out of the mind of the blond he still hadn't noticed behind him, and Dash had a new target. He grinned at Trent, chucking the balloon in his hands at the other jock, just as Holloway disappeared around the corner.

The A-Listers dove out of the way, just as the balloon burst against the floor tiles, covering the hallway and everyone in it in something that was _definitely_ not water. Kwan sniffed at one sticky arm. "Is this _honey_?"

"Yep," Trent smirked, pulling a walkie-talkie out of his pocket and pressing the button on the side. "Chris, the Herd's headed your way."

" _Roger_ ," Chris's voice crackled through the little device, highlighted by the clicks of his own button.

Dash and Kwan looked at each other, then turned and sprinted off in the direction the others had gone.

They spotted the group heading down one hallway, and split up, taking the long way around to the next intersection. And, sure enough, on either side of the hall were Chris and Jason, pulling on a set of ropes holding up a net full of more balloon. Dash didn't question how they'd set it up. Paulina could get anything accomplished when she set her mind on it. And, thought Trent had been behind most of what he's seen that week, the guy just didn't have the brains. Dreams, sure, but no brains.

It _had_ to be Paulie.

He and Kwan came up behind both of them, while they were focused on their prank, taking them to the ground, just as the Herd and Boxy ran past beneath them. The jocks fought hard, but finally released their hold on the ropes as Trent and co. ran up, dousing everyone in a fifteen-foot radius in the multiple unpleasant substances in the balloons.

Finally noticing the commotion, the Herd turned, staring at the mess in the floor. Boxy took this chance to fly off through the ceiling, quickly followed by Skulker.

Dash and Kwan were making fairly quick work of Chris and Jason, before a very angry Trent joined in, the entire group of brawlers slipping and sliding in the goop covering the floor and lockers. Dash looked up, glancing something yellow out of the corner of his eye. "Look out!" He shouted, pointing behind the Herd, as Kwan finally got Jason out of the way and jumped on Trent's back, taking both him and Dash to the ground. Thankfully, the others who were with Trent weren't fighters, just lackeys.

* * *

Danny had absolutely no idea what was going on, but turned around at Dash's warning, spotting Star, Tori, Clay, Jamie, and Manny behind them, all armed with toothy grins and boxes of feathers and packing peanuts. Realizing the ghosts were gone, (judging by their expressions, nobody else had even noticed them,) the group dove out of the way, watching as the A-Listers were quickly coated in the fluffy projectiles.

Danny looked at Tucker and Clark, who were cackling at Mikey, who'd somehow been covered in foam and what looked like peanut butter. He had to admit, it was pretty funny. But, they had bigger things to attend to.

The group on the floor continued to fight and/or attempt to get up off the slippery/sticky floor. Chris managed to get to his feet, only for one shoe to stick to the tiles in something goopy, as the other slid in something slimy, causing him to do an impressive split.

The sound he made was not a happy one.

Before any of Team Phantom could make a move to either help or vacate the area, Paulina showed up, an enormous balloon held high over her head. She smirked evilly at Jazz, - Wait. Why Jazz? What did she do? Danny wasn't even sure his sister had ever _spoken_ to the snotty girl. - then threw the balloon, causing it to soar over the others' heads.

Danny and Clark both jumped out in front of their respective sister and crush, closing their eyes reflexively and waiting for the oncoming splat.

...Which wasn't nearly as big as they'd expected...

Danny opened his eyes carefully, wiping at the small amount of whatever-it-was that had gotten in his hair, to find a red Letterman jacket directly in front of him.

Paulina screeched unhappily, on the other end of the hall, nearly drowning out the sound of the bell ringing entirely. Danny peeked around the blond jock in front of him, just as Casper High's Queen of Mean turned on her heel, ordering Star to follow. She stalked away, ranting about prank-ruiners and sabotage-sabotagers, fluctuating rapidly between English and Spanish.

Before Danny could react to that though, Tucker was holding his PDA in front of the halfa's face, Jazz and Clark watching over his shoulders. His parents had apparently just sent them some footage from the overhead bugs that explained, not just the current situation, but several he and his friends had experienced and witnessed over the past few days.

* * *

"Dash," Danny started, his tone somewhere between amazed and incredulous. The jock paled, but forced himself to turn and look at the smaller teen. Navy eyes met baby blue. "You took a balloon for me."

"Yeah, well," The blond started, wiping something sticky out of his hair and slinging it onto the floor, as the others continued to slip and slide in the goop behind him. "I figured it's the _least_ I owe you, after all you've-" The halfa looked confused, and Kwan looked horrified, before the jock realized what he was saying. "I mean," He stammered, coughing. "The least I owe you, after all the trouble I've caused," He corrected, then sighed, running a not-at-all-clean hand down his face and regretting it immediately. He looking up at the group before him, (none of whom were nearly as messy as the rest of the people in the hallway, though he'd never understand how they'd managed to, not only stay relatively clean, but hide the ghosts before the others noticed,) miserably. "I'm sorry for bullying you. All of you."

Foley and Jazz seemed absolutely speechless. And, Manson, Gray, Holloway, and Schwartz looked highly suspicious. But, Danny and Reuben looked at each other and smiled. "Uh, thanks," Danny said awkwardly. "So, uh, t-truce?" He asked, hesitantly offering his hand.

Dash blinked. "You mean, you're not mad?"

The shrimp actually snorted. "Dude, I just found out you guys've been stopping all these pranks from hitting us, all day. And, getting _detention_ for it," The halfa grinned. "As long as we don't have to worry about you shoving us in our lockers anymore, I think we're cool."

Dash smiled, and took the little ghost's hand.

 _||I'm shaking my hero's hand! I'm shaking Danny Phantom's hand! And, I can't even do that thing where I say I'll never wash it again, 'cause it's covered in honey and chocolate sauce!||_ The blond thought, doing his best not to hyperventilate.

He swallowed thickly. "Deal," He finally agreed, hoping his voice didn't crack as loudly as he thought it did. It was hard to tell, with the others' angry thoughts still blaring in his ears behind him.

"Me, too?" Kwan asked, finally managing to get himself up off the ground and slide his way over unsteadily. "I'm sorry, too."

"Yeah, Kwan. You, too," Danny assured, taking his hand as well, as Clark took Dash's. Slowly, the others' expressions softened, as Foley held out his stupid, little- Er, his PDA to them. They still didn't seem like they trusted the jocks, (and Dash couldn't blame them,) but maybe they would give them a second chance, if they showed them they really meant it.

Before Dash could muse over that anyfruther though, a shadow fell over the group. "Well, I'm certainly glad you've worked everything out," Mr Lancer said unhappily, something slimy-looking dripping off the ceiling and plopping onto his head and clipboard. He paused a moment, allowing himself to seem even more displeased. "And, I'm sure you'll all be happy to know you'll have plenty of time to further discuss this in detention."

This was followed by a chorus of groans and 'awww's, as he began filling out detention slips for the kids before him.

Suddenly, Sam looked irritated, as she noticed the other group smirking at them from the other side of the intersection. "What about the A-Listers?" She asked pointedly, turning to Lancer.

"What about them, Miss Manson?" The overweight teacher asked dully.

"They were the ones who-" She started, pointing in the others' direction. Then, she stopped, as she noticed the stunning lack of A-Listers in the hall. The cowards. "They were the ones who started this whole mess. We had nothing to do with it," She argued, the others quickly agreeing with her.

Lancer pinched the bridge of his nose, glancing down the hall in both directions before speaking again. "As much as I'd love to believe you, Miss Manson, - And, I really would, - I haven't even _seen_ the A-Listers around here," He admitted, seeming as though he genuinely disliked the fact. "I'm afraid I've only seen you. So, I, regretfully, must dole out punishment to only those whose involvement I have proof of. Unless, of course, you can prove your claim?"

Several of them looked at Tucker, likely all thinking of the videos he had, but he just shook his head. They couldn't tell anyone about the bugs. As much as they hated letting the others get away with this, detention was way better than jail.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **So... That happened. Anybody got a clue how that happened? 0_o I'm pretty sure my keyboard comes to life at night and types things while I'm asleep...**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **speedyowl152**

 **Janelle22**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	21. 20: Dial G For Ghost

**Chapter 20:**  
 **Dial G For Ghost**

* * *

Danny and Co. sat in the school's gym, where all the day's detentionaires had found themselves, since there wasn't much room anywhere else. Danny wasn't sure why they didn't just split the kids up so that _people who had been getting into fist fights all day weren't sitting next to each other_ , and asked as much. Lancer had claimed it was because there weren't enough teachers, since some of them _did_ have homes to get to. But, Danny suspected it was because forcing them to sit on the back-up bleachers (since the normal ones had gotten damaged in Boxy's tempter tantrum the week before,) was some form of torture.

A suspicion that only grew when the man refused to let them sit on the much-more-comfortable floor.

Well, at least there hadn't been any gym class, since the teachers seemed genuinely nervous about leaving Tetslaff in control of a small army of violent teenagers... Looking at the big woman's expression, Danny decided that was probably a good call. Apparently, several major fights had broken out over the course of the day, along with all the pranks they'd avoided, (like sleepwalking cartoon characters in a construction site,) thanks to Dash and Kwan.

Speaking of which, Team Phantom found themselves just as shocked about the others' behavior as the teachers, and, by default, suspected something supernatural was afoot - As was Amity's way, - but couldn't discuss it because of the bullies-turned-maybe-allies now sitting awkwardly next to them. Danny figured they felt guilty, and tried to ease it by attempting his own awkward conversation. Kwan was pretty eager, and Dash seemed at least a little relieved. But, it didn't explain why the blond kept flinching every few minutes and glancing around like he expected to be attacked at any moment.

Then, again... this was _Amity_.

Even when there _wasn't_ a semi-secret, prank war apparently going on...

Or, several angry-looking A-Listers staring at them from several positions all around the room, that looked awfully strategic...

Or, a teacher who possibly dreamed of weaponizing her students...

Or, two ghosts playing supernatural tag, somewhere in the city, both of whom used to be enemies, but had recently been downgraded to ally and impressively-persistent annoyance...

Danny didn't get to finish that thought, as his phone rang. Which was fine, since he likely could've continued that list for several days.

"Mr. Fenton," Lancer chided, hands on his hips. He walked over, holding out his hand, and Danny fished the little device out of his pocket.

After glancing at the screen, the teen seriously considered chucking it clear across the room, but didn't get a chance, as the bald man - Apparently recognizing the look in his eyes, likely through years of being a teacher, - snatched it from him and looked at the screen.

This was bad.

 _||...Wait, did Dash just squeak?||_

He turned to the blond, who looked pale, even beneath all the gunk still coating him. He was about to ask, when Lancer spoke again.

" _Metal Butt_?" The man looked incredulous.

"Uh..." The blue-eyed ghost stammered nervously, as he felt the others around him tense.

"Uh, Danny's cousin, who's got great glutes?" Tucker offered, as Mike held back a surprised snort and Kwan let out a relieved sigh.

...Wait, why was _Kwan_ nervous?

He looked at the Asian jock, who paled, as a click sounded in Mr. Lancer's direction. Danny was afraid he already knew what that sound was. He turned back, hoping the overweight teacher was just calling his parents.

But, no.

Of _course_ , it couldn't be that simple.

"Hello?" The man answered, bringing Danny's phone to his ear, as the group gasped, and Clark clung to the halfa's shoulder like he was afraid the shorter teen would disappear. (Which was entirely possible, the way Danny was feeling.)

"Hello?" Replied an all-too-familiar voice, still loud enough to be heard from a few feet away, but seeming confused. Though, Lancer looked confused, too, as he held the little device away from his ear, wincing at the volume. So, maybe he didn't recognize the deep tone, and would accept Tucker's explanation and move on?

"Who is this?"

Of course he wouldn't.

Danny could practically _feel_ the pride coming off the hunter on the other end of the line, despite the fact that he wasn't present or visible. "I am SKULKER! The Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter!"

Well. There went _that_.

Lancer looked up at the blue-eye boy before him, concerned. "Why are you calling my student?"

"H-He's upset with Danny's parents for hunting him," Sam explained, a bit too loudly.

"Yeah, so, sometimes he calls to annoy him, as revenge," Val added. The others quickly agreeing.

Lancer's expression turned serious. "Has he ever hurt you?"

 _||Yes,||_ Danny thought.

 _||And, he worked hard at that,||_ The boy's mind continued, as Dash flinched again, out of the corner of his eye.

But, aloud, the halfa said, "No. Just calls at odd hours. He only really attacks Phantom." Well, it was partially true. Sort of.

"Very well, then," The man said, obviously unhappy, before speaking to the ghost on the other end of the line. "I'm certainly not going to try to tell a giant, mechanical ghost what to do, but I would appreciate it if you would refrain from calling my student during class," He said, his voice clipped, before he cut the connection. Nobody seemed able to believe he'd spoken to the hunter like that, and he seemed to be one of them. In his stupor, he almost handed the phone back over to Danny, then thought better of it. "You will get this back at the end of the day, and I am calling your parents about this."

Danny nodded seriously, feeling possibly more grateful than ever that his parents were now in-the-know.

* * *

Sam was getting tired of this. "Okay," She said, stopping in her tracks and turning to look at the two nervous jocks who had decided to tag along with their group. "Spill."

Dash and Kwan looked at each other, then folded their arms and schooled their expressions into something less timid. "We don't know what you're talking about," Kwan said, doing a much better job of looking calm than his best friend. Which was odd.

"Don't play dumb," Val joined.

"We're not playing!" Kwan argued, then seemed to realize what he'd said. "I mean, - I had no idea Skulker was gonna call you!" Dash paled. "I mean, - Why would a ghost call a _Fenton_ , that makes no sense! Why would you even hang out with him in the school hallways!?" Dash paled further and attempted to cover his friends mouth, as the chatty boy continued to ramble behind his hand.

"Uh..." The blond droned, staring at the other group, who stared back.

Except for Sam. She was fuming.

"So, _that's_ why you're being nice to us, all of a sudden! You think you can use us to get your own pet ghost, or something!"

"Why, on _earth_ , would we want a pet ghost!?" Dash asked, incredulously, as Kwan finally struggled free.

"Yeah!" He agreed. "And, besides, we didn't see that until just before the water balloon thing! We've been sticking up for you, for days! It's not _Dash's_ fault the G.I.W. are idiots!"

"...What does _that_ have to do with anything?" Les asked, as he and several others instinctively stepped between the jocks and Danny.

Kwan paled. "Uh, well, I mean, they messed up everything, and, they made all the ghosts look bad, and they probably made Fenton and his parents look bad, too, and..." He stammered. "And, they hit those two teenagers with their weird, ray thing, that lets people mrphmrnphl," He continued, as Dash covered his mouth, again.

"That lets people _what_?" Valerie asked suspiciously, glaring at the taller teens.

* * *

Dash sighed, letting go of Kwan - Who had finally shut up, - and running a hand through his hair. "That lets people hear see other peoples' thoughts," He finished, looking up at them. He felt so exhausted. "I know you got hit with it, Sam. I know, because I was the other one who got hit. And, when you're not wearing those weird, earbud things, I can hear what you and everyone else around me is thinking. It's absolutely suffocating," He winced at the memory, unconsciously covering his ears with his hands. The others seemed absolutely dumbfounded and... terrified? "Look," He continued. "I might've heard a lot, but I could hardly understand any of it. There's too much going on. Too many voices at once. So, you don't have to worry," He assured, ignoring the fact that he was kind of lying to his hero. A hero who could totally rip him to shreds, if he wanted to.

But, then, Danny had always been able to do that, hadn't he?

"And, I really am sorry about the bullying. One thing I've been able to hear perfectly clear is just how much everyone _hates me_ ," He admitted, balling his fists up and looking back to the ground. "You don't hafta worry about it anymore, y'know? Paulie and I are done. We probably should've been, a long time ago. I'm probably gonna get kicked off the football team, because she's been trying to sabotage me, ever since we broke up. I've got no clue why she's after you guys, but at least _I_ deserve it. So, you guys just go one doing what you're doing, and I'll do everything I can to keep them and those weirdo out-of-towners off your backs."

Then, he paled, again, realizing he'd said too much. Man, this nice guy thing was harder than it looked.

"What out-of-towners?" Tucker asked, seeming pale, himself.

"The out-of-towners who've been following you around, and being all creepy, and stuff," Kwan explained. "We've been following _them_ , while they were following _you_." Dash didn't even bother to try and stop him. It was a pretty hopeless endeavor, anyways.

"You were _following us_!?" Sam demanded.

" _No_. We were following _them_ ," Dash argued.

"And, when did you find out they were following us?" Mike asked.

"When we were following you."

Honestly, some days, Dash could kill Kwan.

"Just how much do you know?" It sounded like a question, but for some reason the jocks felt like the goth girl was threatening them. Dash looked at Kwan, who was biting his lips to keep himself from speaking again.

"We know that the Fentons don't hate ghosts as much as they act like they do, because Danny's a ghost, and the little Phantom can make herself look human, and she looks like Danny, and she and the ghost that tried to kidnap all the adults in town have been playing with an ectopus in _FentonWorks_ , and the weirdos think half-ghosts exist, and Dash thinks it's possible, but I think they're all nuts."

Dash sighed, again. He'd known that dam wouldn't hold.

"But, we're not, like, gonna tell anybody about it. And, we're not, like, trying to use you for your powers, 'cause we only found out a couple hours ago, and we really have been trying to help you as just Danny Fenton, not Danny Phantom, 'cause we've only know _that_ , like, an hour and a half, and I still don't really believe it, 'cause all I saw you do was light your hands on fire. And, we really are trying to be nice, 'cause we really feel bad about all the stuff we did, and the A-Listers hate us, and the other kids hate us, and everyone hates us, so _please_ don't hate us, too, 'cause we really are _trying_!" The Asian teen cried, dropping to the ground and grabbing hold of a very freaked-out halfa's foot.

* * *

So, Dash really _did_ like Jazz. Like, a lot more than Star had thought. Why else would he have jumped in front of her, when Paulina threw that balloon? And, he'd saved Jazz's brother from it, too, which would likely score him points with the redhead.

And, Paulie was _not_ taking it well.

"C'mon," Star coaxed, lifting the edge of the comforter her best friend was currently huddled under, bawling her eyes out. A hand reached out, dragging a tissue into the dark, fluffy space, before a loud honk was heard. "It'll be okay. You could have any guy in the school."

"But, I don't want _any guy_!" The Latina cried. How she could go from angry and vindictive to helpless and lovesick so quickly was beyond Star. "I want _Dash_!"

"So, why don't you just tell him that?" The blonde asked softly.

Paulina sniffled, peeking out slightly. "Because, he's such an idiot, sometimes! Why can't he be _my_ idiot!? Besides, every time I actually get near him, I feel so _angry_! Why do I feel so _angry_!?" She asked, pounding a fist on the mattress.

Star muttered under her breath briefly, trying to remember whatever it was Mr. Lancer had said about a woman scorned, before giving up on that. "Because, breakups hurt," She stated bluntly. "And, some people deal with being hurt by being angry, because then they can be a fighter, rather than a victim."

"But, I don't want to be angry! I want Dash!" She sniffed. Then, she was angry, again. "And, no lanky librarian is going to get in my way!"

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **I'm really not good with revelation scenes, and I apologize sincerely... PLEASE, DON'T KILL ME! *Runs away, screaming***

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **BasketballIsFun**

 **tigris1721**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **Just in case I haven't already said so in this book, I do not own** ** _Detentionaire_** **, but I do love that show. It does not get enough credit.**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	22. 21: Anatomy Of The Murdered

**Chapter 21:**  
 **Anatomy Of The Murdered**

* * *

 **WARNING: Semi-Graphic depiction of violence/torture. As I've said before, I'm squeamish, but this does mention something the G.I.W. did to a ghost, and I decided to get out of my comfort zone a little. Probably a bad idea, but it's only, like, two paragraphs, about three-fourths of the way through. ...I'm sorry, in advance...**

 **So... Enjoy? :)**

* * *

"I'm so bored," Ellie groaned, lying upside down on the living room couch, so her head dangled off. Youngblood and Marty laid next to her, doing the same, grunting and gurgling unhappily in agreement.

Suddenly, the door opened, and the little halfa and ectopus flew up off the couch, tackling the newcomers to the ground. "DANNY!" Ellie cried happily, sitting on her brother's stomach. As the others filed inside, Marty ran a huge tongue up the side of Mikey's head, causing the redhead to shudder and Youngblood to cackle.

"So, who is she, anyways?" Dash asked, staring down at the little ghost-girl in confusion.

"She's my baby sister," Danny smiled proudly, climbing to his feet and placing a hand on the smaller halfa's shoulder.

"I'm not a baby," Ellie protested, folding her arms.

"You're as cute as a baby," The older halfa argued slyly.

The girl blinked. "...That I will concede."

"I didn't know you had another sister," Kwan noted.

"That's 'cause she's not technically his sister, yet," Tucker said.

The jocks looked at each other. "She's not?"

"She's my clone. We're adopting her," Danny explained, as though it were the most normal thing in the world. Ellie and Youngblood gaped at him, as Dash and Kwan gaped at everyone. "They know about my powers," He added, turning to the out-of-the-loop pair.

"WHAT!?"

"DANNY-BOY!" Jack Fenton's voice boomed, the ground thumping as he and his wife bound into the room cheerfully. "WE FIGURED OUT WHICH KID GOT HIT WITH THE G.I.W.'S RAY!" Dash paled.

"According to the information gathered by the bugs you planted in the school, it was a boy named Dash Baxter. Don't you know him, Danny?" The half-ghost's mother asked, finally looking up from the sheet of paper she was reading from. The woman took one look at the blond in question and paled. "I-I mean... Y'see, by 'bugs', I meant-"

Man, it was weird to see the ghost-huntress so lost-for-words. She was usually so together. Ellie floated over to her, pulling her into a hug in an admittedly-awkward attempt at comfort. "It's okay, Mom," Danny said, finally cutting off her rambling, as he and Jazz went over to the adults as well. "They know."

" _THEY WHAT_!?"

* * *

Dash would never figure out how he'd done it, but he'd done it. Somehow, in all his pleading, and explaining, and going into way too much detail about the past few days, which Foley - _Tucker_ , - somehow had video evidence for, Kwan and his absolutely unstoppable yap had convinced Danny to give them another chance. _And,_ convinced Danny to convince the others to give them another chance. _And_ , stopped Sam and Valerie from pulverizing them into oblivion. _**And**_ , brought them back to _FentonWorks_ , to see if Danny's parents could do anything about Dash's 'I-hear-everything-everyone-is-thinking-and-I-have-absolutely-no-control-over-it-and-it's-driving-me- _insane_ problem.

Meanwhile, Dash was beginning to wonder if Danny had an I'm-way-too-overly-trusting problem.

This was pretty much confirmed, when the group walked in the front door and he and Kwan were casually introduced to Danny's _clone_.

Who the Fentons were going to adopt.

A clone/sister.

Danny Phantom was Danny Fenton, and he had a clone/sister, who was also _Dani (aka Ellie) Phantom_.

Dash was pretty sure the world was going to crumble in on itself. And, the conversation wasn't even _close_ to reaching peak-weirdness. Because, then it was revealed that the half-ghosts' parents - Who were _ghost-hunters_ , - had had the Herd plant _literal_ spy bugs all over the school, in an attempt to find out who else had been hit by the G.I.W.'s ray.

 _What_?

The group took turns explaining what they knew, filling Dash and Kwan in on some of the stuff they were still in the dark about. (Not much, really.) But, apparently, the 'weirdos' were TV detectives, or something, and would put the stuff they found out about Amity Park on their show, for everyone to see. Which just made the two jocks feel better about their spy-work. They quickly filled the others in on what they'd see and heard over the course of the past two weeks, and plans were made for the Fenton parents to handle the half-ghost thing, the next day. No one was entirely sure what they intended to do about it, but they certainly seemed confident about it.

Why didn't that make Dash feel any better?

"So," Danny began, pulling out a pencil and rolling out some blueprint paper on the coffee table, as Mrs. Fenton gave Dash a check-up, since they didn't know what exactly the G.I.W.'s ray did to him. All they really knew was what the side-effects were. "Now that that's out of the way, what's our plan for getting back at the A-Listers?"

"Huh?" Several people around the room chorused. (Including Dash, though his was muffled by the flashlight Mrs. Fenton was shining in his mouth.)

"I mean, I know we can counteract their pranks, since we've pretty much been doing it by accident all week, even before you guys started stopping them," He continued, gesturing to the very-surprised jocks. "But, how're we gonna retaliate? Because, anyone who knows me knows I can't just _not_ retaliate," The half-ghost grinned. It looked so much like Phantom.

Because he _was_ Phantom.

And, that was _so freaky_ and _so awesome_ , at the same time.

* * *

It was growing dark when the Crew finally descended into the darkness below the rubble of the base, climbing carefully down the makeshift rope-ladder they'd strung together and fastened to a chunk of concrete the size of a minivan. They activated their flashlights, which they'd duct-taped to the tops of the helmets Ray and Angie had grabbed, - Why pay twenty dollars for pre-made, when you can DIY for five? - looking around at the massive expanse of shelving units and rubble before them. Despite the fact that the room itself was almost completely intact, the earthquake caused by the blond ghost had done some serious damage, toppling, smashing, and/or crushing several pieces of furniture and technology that had been stored under the building. Splintered wood, damaged electronics, and papers were scattered about in all directions.

Ray shivered, peering suspiciously at a darkened corner his flashlight's beam couldn't quite reach. "There had better not be any more demon-beavers around here, or I'm gonna have a nervous breakdown," He muttered, his voice echoing eerily into the still blackness. "I won't even need the ladder to get back out. I'm pretty sure I'll spontaneously learn to fly."

Toby snorted lightly at the mental image of his friend flapping like a chicken, as he and Dave wandered over to one of the still-standing shelving units and began pulling out boxes of files, inspecting them. Meanwhile, the others wandered around the rest of the large room. "Be careful, guys," Dave warned. "No telling when or where another chunk of ceiling will fall." They nodded, watching and listening carefully for cracks overhead.

"Looks like all the same kind of stuff from that secret room upstairs," Dave noted, scanning his eyes over the contents of a random file.

"Literally," Carrie said, calling them over. In front of her, in a pile of rubble, was the entire room in question. Apparently, it'd fallen through the floor.

"Anything in here still in working order?" Toby wondered aloud, picking up a thing that looked like a thermos. Then, he dropped it with an incredibly unmanly yelp, as it began sparking in his hand.

Toby, Ray, and Carrie began digging around in the debris, as Dave returned to the shelves with Angela. Soon enough, though, the Crew's shortest member grew bored. - And, by proxy, dramatic. - Ray groaned, making a show of stretching his back and chucking a piece of shredded technology into the 'broken beyond repair' pile. He glanced around, shining his headlamp around the darkness.

Then, he caught a glimpse of what looked like a wall, on the other side of the shelves. He wandered over, hoping to at least get a feel for how big the room they were in was. "Hey," He finally called out, gesturing to the wall before him and the row of light switches attached to it. "Think these work?" He smirked.

"Go for it," Toby grinned back. He did, flipping the one closest to himself, and the faint, motorized hum that had been echoing from somewhere deeper in the cavernous space stopped.

"Why did I not notice that noise, until it stopped?" Carrie asked, to no one in particular.

"I noticed it," Dave said. "I just thought it was echoing from outside, or something."

"Try another one," Toby prodded. Ray flipped the next switch, bathing the room around them in a combination of light and sparks, as several one particularly damaged fixture attempted to come to life in the rubble. The sparks soon died out, though, as the cable snapped, hanging from the ceiling, like an electric eel.

"Everyone steer clear of that," Dave instructed, unnecessarily. The others nodded, anyways, as Ray flipped another switch.

This time, another hum filled the room, though this one was closer. The group looked around, before the short man let out a triumphant cry and pointed towards a door that had previously bee hidden by another shelving unit. The group walked over, staring at the door's eerily-glowing window, listening to the strange noises coming from behind.

Then, Carrie pushed Dave forwards. "Open it."

"Why me?"

"Because, you've got the gun. And, besides that, you're the strongest, and, therefore, have the greatest chance of survival, should that noise turn out to be some kind of hungry, demonic ghost-animal," Toby reasoned. Dave hated when he did that. At least, when it was turned against him.

The green-eyed man reached out tentatively, turning the knob and peering through the cracked doorway. Then, he opened it fully, surprise and curiosity written across his features.

Inside, was a television, a VCR, and about a trillion video tapes.

They stepped inside carefully. Toby picked up the nearest VHS, examining it. "Experiment #764," He read the label aloud. Then, he popped the chunk of plastic and film into the video player and they all gathered around to watch.

The screen flickered to life. They'd suspected the building still had power, but hadn't turned on any of the lights to find out, since they were afraid they would get caught. Didn't much matter underground, though.

The video took place in that doctor's office, with the green stains. (The one that didn't exist, anymore.) They watched in horror, as a 'ghost' was dragged in, covered in chains and completely terrified. And, that terror wasn't programmed. It was _real_.

Angela took one look at the gruesome film and rushed back outside the room, obviously sick to her stomach. Her friends couldn't blame her. Toby wanted to run after her, but found his feet wouldn't move, and he couldn't look away from the screen.

"...You know what this means, don't you?" Dave finally asked, his tone deathly serious, feeling very green, himself. He looked to the remaining members of his Crew. "We can't tell _anybody_ about the Fentons. If what Toby suspects is correct, we would be putting those 'ghosts' in serious danger. Not to mention those _kids_. If they would do this to a normal 'ghost', there's no telling what they'd do to a ' _half-ghost_ '." The others nodded, barely able to keep their own lunches down.

One of the ghosts on the screen screamed in agony, as one of his organs was pulled from his chest, still attached. Then, Ray paled and joined Angela.

The Critical Crew remained in the base's lower level for most of the night, debating over what to do with the information they'd been presented with. Should they go to the authorities? Would they treat the 'ghosts' just as cruelly as the G.I.W. had? No one wanted to chance it. If they were safe from that threat now, there was no reason to put them in more danger. Especially, when there were kids involved. But, what if they really were incredibly-advanced animatronics?

Then, their skepticism was brought to a screeching halt, when Toby found a folder full of information attempting to explain the existence of the 'ghosts'. No, not 'ghosts', _ghosts_. No quotes. This was real. There was extensive (though cruel and depraved,) research. They had biology, they had a natural habitat, they had proof of existence, and the Fentons, apparently, had a portal into their world, - An alternate dimension to the humans' own, - in their _basement_.

What was it with this town and weird, creepy basements?

The Crew decided, at that point, to go back to the hotel and get some sleep. Let the existence of a new species previously believed to be a myth sink in for a while. They couldn't deny it any longer, and that might've been the hardest part.

Because, now none of them could pretend that maybe the ghost in that video was fake and wasn't really in pain...

So, they gathered themselves and anything they wanted to take with them together and made their way back towards the rope-ladder. Ray wandered back over to the light switches, returning them all to their original positions, just in case, before making a beeline back towards his friends, as though he thought he could outrun the darkness. Then, he skidded to a halt, as he realized he'd hit an extra switch.

Everyone turned at the grating noise, hurrying back towards where Ray had disappeared to. Then, they heard a smacking noise and picked up their pace. And, there, on the other side of a particularly-packed shelving unit, they found the short man standing with his eyes screwed shut and his hand pressed against his forehead. Well, that explained one sound. " _Of course_ ," He muttered irritably.

"What?" Dave asked. The shorter man just gestured in front of him, the others quickly pointing their flashlights in the direction of the now-visible, metal structure on the far side of the wall, which had previously been covered by what they now realized was a mechanical door in the wall. Then, several of them face-palmed, as well.

After all that work they put into getting down there...

 _Of course_ , there were stairs...

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Another semi-short chapter, but I hope it was alright. And, I hope you don't mind how I handled the whole Dash-and-Kwan-know thing...**

 **So, the Crew knows, now, too... So, that happened... Let's see where it goes from there :))**

 **Also, to all you guys in the Hurricane Florence area, (I am, but I'm way inland,) I hope you're all safe :)**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **Janelle22**

 **Guest**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **And, to the guest who reviewed: Thank you, so much! I was so worried about how it would go over, but I don't think I've ever been so grateful for Kwan's chattiness. Lol, I had no idea how to handle the scene otherwise XD**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	23. 22: The Restarted

**Chapter 22:**  
 **The Restarted**

* * *

Dash winced in anticipation, glancing out the corner of his eye at a group of Freshmen walking to school together. But, oddly enough, the overwhelming bombardment of thoughts never came. Looked like the weird, earphone things the Fentons had given him the day before had done the trick, blocking out his powers just as they'd blocked out the thoughts of the Herd-members wearing them before.

 _||Man... I should'a done this a week ago...||_ He thought, as relief washed over him. His step grew a bit more confident, as he headed towards the bus stop he and Kwan had agreed to meet the others at.

* * *

"Really, Sir, there's nothing to report," Toby insisted, talking to the Crew's boss over the crackly video-chat.

"I don't care! _Find_ something to report on!" The man half-screamed. He wasn't usually this irritable, but he seemed to be having a hard time with his toupee and trying to hide it. (Everyone knew he had it, but he didn't know they knew.) "Just, pretend to stumble onto something else while investigating the ghosts, or something," He ordered, as his fake bangs flopped into his eyes, again.

The five people in the hotel room looked at each other. It actually wasn't a bad idea. Which was surprising, since their boss wasn't really much of an idea man. More like a 'Do whatever you want, as long as you stay within the budget, get good ratings, and meet the deadline' man.

But, what else could they report on? And, how could they just leave this town a mystery, without finding out more? Even if what they found never left the group?

Ray turned to the others after the connection was cut, face pale and exhausted. "So, are we going back to the base to research my nightmares and find some kind of conclusion for our own sanity's sake, or am I gonna leave this town in a straight jacket?" The others looked at their easily-frightened friend for a moment. Sleep-Deprivation always had weird effects on him.

"Yeah," Dave finally agreed. "We're going back. Eventually. But, we really need to find another subject to cover, first."

"Maybe we can do a report on the G.I.W.," Carrie suggested, looking equally tired and supporting herself atop her shortest friend's head. Ray glanced up at her, but said nothing, simply drooping down to support himself on the back of an armchair.

"Can't," Toby argued, joining the other two and increasing the size of their odd, human, totem pole. "Even if we leave out the paranormal aspects, some of it's too obvious, there're too many people who would go wandering around their base, just like we did, and, they're really not all that interesting on their own. Just exceedingly eccentric and dangerous. Like, inter-species terrorists."

"Pretty sure that's _exactly_ what they are," Angie pointed out, joining them, as well.

"So, what do we do?" Carrie wondered. "I mean, look at Ray. He's basically a _zombie_ , right now. And, I seriously doubt _any of us_ is going to get much sleep, until we know that these ghosts, - or _whatever_ they are, - are safe from these people. I mean, the G.I.W. are gone, but I've heard plenty of people calling the Fentons 'ghost-hunters'. What if they're just calling themselves 'paranormal scientists' so people don't think they do the same kinds of things the G.I.W. do?"

"Did you see how powerful those kids were?" Toby pointed out. "They _destroyed_ the park, and they called it ' _playing_ '. I don't think they'd hang out with the Fentons if they felt they were in any danger. And, judging by the older ghosts' reaction to us being in the base, right after we found that file, I don't think _they'd_ let them near the Fentons, either, if they thought they were like the G.I.W."

"All I know is I'm gonna be completely useless to you guys, unless and until I get some real sleep," Ray stated. "And, that's not gonna happen, until I get some closure on the subject. So, the sooner we head back to the base, the better, in my opinion. Maybe we'll come across something news-worthy while we're digging through all that mess."

Dave sighed, finally trudging over to join the pile. "Maybe you're right. And, it definitely _is_ the most interesting spot in town. -"

"Aside from anywhere a ghost happens to be, at that moment. But, those places also tend to be kinda obliterated," Toby interjected.

"- So, I suppose it's our best bet," The green-eyed man finished.

"So, we're going back, now?" Ray asked, looking up at the stack of heads and arms piled on his own.

"Yeah," His best friend agreed. "We're going back, now."

Then, the chair flipped over, and the Crew found themselves on the floor.

* * *

Dash and Kwan leaned around the corner, peering in both directions, before spotting their target. Paulina stood by her locker, fixing her makeup between classes. After checking that there was no one else around, Dash carefully removed one of his earpieces. Kwan watched him anxiously, before the blond suddenly replaced the little device, grabbed his friend's arm, and hurried off.

"So, what'd ya hear?" The Asian jock whispered, as the two headed towards Danny's locker.

"I got a little bit of insight on Paulina's next prank," The quarterback smirked. His buddy smirked back. Now that Dash had some level of control over his powers, this could be seriously fun.

Suddenly, the bond stopped, holding his arm out for Kwan to do the same. The bell rang and the halls quickly cleared, before the semi-telepath checked around another corner and headed for Trent's locker. He pried it open, grabbing the boxes of gelatin mix from inside and shoving them into his backpack.

"Whoa," Kwan said. "I knew Trent liked Jello, but I didn't think he like it _this much_. Why are we stealing it?"

"Dude," Dash said. "He was gonna put this in all the toilets and shower-heads and blame Fent- Danny for it." He smirked darkly. "I say we switch that idea around a little."

* * *

"Hey, guys?" Jazz whispered into her _Fenton Phones_ , as she sat in the library, peering out the library door at the odd, drippy sight on the other side. "Why are all the Sophomores blue?"

"What?" The others replied, seeming just as confused as the librarian.

"Actually," Kwan's voice came through the little speakers in their ears. "That was mine and Dash's doing."

"What?" The others repeated, Jazz joining them, this time.

"Yeah, so, he took his ghost-phone things out and listened in on what Paulina was thinking, and apparently Trent was gonna pull this major prank with Jello and frame Danny. But, we kinda stole all his Jello, and poured a bunch of the blue ones in the pool, - Not enough that you could tell it was there, though, because then nobody would jump in, - and wrote 'Trent Corbin wuz here' on the wall."

"... _What_?" The others near-shouted.

"You started the retaliations, without me?" Danny asked, at the same time, seeming almost hurt.

"At first, we were just trying to _stop_ their pranks, before they started," Dash defended.

"Yeah," His friend agreed. "But, then we had Jello, and there was this pool full of water just _sitting there_ , and the thought of Smurfs in highschool..." The jock trailed off, chuckling semi-nervously.

"You got any more of that Jello mix?" Mikey asked, suddenly.

"Yeah," The blond replied. "Tons of it. After we raided Trent's locker, we found it in a bunch of the other jocks', too. Missed half of Homeroom for it. Got detention."

"I wondered where you were," Danny noted, as though this were a normal conversation, and not one involving ghosts, Smurfs, and blue gelatin. "But, at least you'll have detention with the rest of us. We can do more planning, then," He added.

"Cool," Dash replied.

"Yeah," Kwan agreed. "But, you're not gonna be the only ghost on the team, anymore. My Mom's gonna kill me." Several noises of sympathy rang out through the little communicators.

"So, back to the Jello," Mikey insisted. "How much is 'tons of it', exactly?"

"What are you thinking?" Tucker wondered, as his group reached the library doors, where Jazz was still standing.

"Nothing," The other replied innocently. "Just that there are a lot of uses for Jello, that have nothing to do with eating it." He grinned up at Lester, who looked at him with something between pride and fear.

Then, the tallest redhead seemed to get an idea. "Danny, what happened to that ghost, space craft you had?" He asked, a sly grin slowly spreading across his face.

"What ghost, space craft?" The halfa asked, confused.

"The zero-gravity, rocket ship," Clark smiled, growing excited.

"I don't have a zero-gravity, rocket ship," Danny argued. "I don't have a zero-gravity _anything_."

"Yes, you do," Mike insisted. "We used it to play zero-gravity, dance party, when we were Danny-sitting."

"I am _so lost_ ," Kwan's voice came through their earpieces.

"Zero-Gra- _Okay_ ," The blue-eyed ghost finally said, shaking his head and turning to Tucker. "The second we get back to my house, you're showing me the video of whatever I did last week."

" _Videos_ , Dude," The techno-geek grinned, swinging an arm over his best friend's shoulders. "Plural."

The halfa's face paled and the others watched with glee, as the implications of those three little words sunk in.

" _Still lost_ ," Kwan interjected.

"BEWARE!" Then, Box Ghost was there.

" _Not, again_!"

"OH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

"Has anybody seen the stupid thermos?"

 ***Crash***

"I AM THE BOX GHOST!"

"SHUT! UP!"

"Maybe he'll shut up if I shove him in a box."

 ***Boom***

"If you shove Lunch Lady in a box, it would be _Box Lunch_."

"Don't you bring _that_ mess up, again."

 ***Crunch***

"More lost."

"DO NOT SPEAK OF MY BELOVED IN THAT MANNER!"

 _Way_ more lost."

 ***Bang***

"I don't even think I _wanna_ know..."

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **I know, it's short. I'll try and make the next one longer. For some reason, I just have a hard time writing out prank-war scenes...**

 **So, I know what I'm doing with the space ship thing, but if anybody has any other suggestions for pranks the Herd could pull, feel free to let me know, 'cause, right now, Jello is the best I got. And, that's kinda sad... And, I really wanna get my word-count back up, so any ideas are greatly appreciated :)))**

 **I do not own** ** _Jello_** **or** ** _The Smurfs_** **!**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	24. 23: Two Angry Humans

**Chapter 23:**  
 **Two Angry Humans**

* * *

Despite what Dave had told Ray, the Crew did _not_ go back to the base that very second. Once they found themselves piled in the floor, it became increasingly difficult to get up again, and they quickly began to nod off. Thankfully, though, being in each others' presence seemed to ward off the nightmares and overwhelming empathy they were all struggling with, and they slept fairly soundly for a few good hours. By the time they all woke up and started out, they were still worn out, but were feeling significantly more rested.

Finally, after they dragged themselves over to the little coffee shop across from the hotel, and stuffed themselves full of enough sugar and caffeine to get up and moving, they climbed into their van and headed back for the base.

"So, where to, first?" Ray asked, hopping off the last rung of the rope-ladder.

"Don't know," Dave admitted, as Toby wandered over to the shelves to continue looking through the files he and the tallest Crew-member had been going over the day before. "I guess we just look around and see what we can see."

"Hey, Ray," Carrie said, a thoughtful look on her face, as she twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. "Which one of those switches made that humming noise stop?"

"Uhh..." The short man droned, before wandering over to the wall. He looked over the little panel. "I think it was this one," He said, flipping the switch he was indicating. Sure enough, the faint, buzzy sound faded away.

"Okay. Then, we're gonna go find out where it's coming from," The blonde decided, hooking her elbow in Ray's and dragging him off towards the back of the building, despite his protests.

"Be careful," Dave called after them unconcernedly, not bothering to look up from the file in his hands.

"Watch out for chunks of falling concrete," Toby echoed.

" **But, what if there's another** ** _ghost-beaver_**!?" The brown-eyed man's voice rang out from the darkness that had already swallowed the pair.

"Man, he is never gonna let that one go, is he?" Toby mumbled.

" _You're_ the one who climbed into my bed at three a.m., because you dreamed there was an army of them," His sister noted smugly.

"In the dream, the king of the ghost-beavers said that red hair was their greatest weakness! I was afraid they try to shave your head in self-defense!" The man-child argued, indignantly.

"Uh-Huh," The woman continued smirking. Then, her mirth disappeared, as she glanced towards the little room across from them. "I think I'm gonna go over their video records. See what I can find there."

"Think that's a good idea?" Dave countered. "You couldn't stand what we saw yesterday, and something tells me it won't get any kinder."

"I'm not gonna watch any of that. I'm gonna see if I can find anything that's just them talking. Surely they've got records of other stuff, too," She reasoned, stepping towards the little door.

"Alright. Be careful," Dave repeated.

Toby shrugged. "Watch out for chunks of falling concrete," Toby echoed, again. The two men silently went back to their work, keeping their ears open for their friends. "Good grief," Toby finally said, after a few moments.

"What?"

"Some of these inventions are just _beyond_ bizarre," He replied, holding out a picture of a glowing dream-catcher, that supposedly did something to filter out ghosts, or something like that. He wasn't entirely sure. Whoever had filed this one had written it by hand, and their handwriting was so bad, it might as well have been in cuneiform. "Is that a six, or a picture of a thumb?"

The taller man tilted his head curiously. "...I think it's a 'W'..."

The two men looked at the strange scribbles for several more moments, before shrugging and moving on. If it turned out to be important, they would come back to that one later.

* * *

"I don't like this."

"I'm aware."

"I _really_ don't like this."

"So, I've heard."

"This is a bad idea."

"We've been over this."

"Your hair is really pretty."

"I kn-" Carrie paused, looking at her short friend uncertainly. "Thank you." She looked the uninterested-seeming man up and down skeptically, for a moment. "Ray, are you hitting on me?"

He shook his head, exhaustion and annoyance apparent. "No, I was just forced to notice, because you keep _whacking me in the face with your pony-tail_."

"Oh. Sorry," The blonde stated, sounding anything but. Neither of them knew what was going on. Sure, they might not agree on everything, but they never went at each others' throats, like they had been in the past few minutes. Nonetheless, they continued down the dark hallway, pausing at an intersection, where the humming sounds grew louder and echoed eerily, all around them.

Ray pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Hey, can one of you guys flip that switch, again?"

" _Sure thing_ ," Toby's voice crackled through, a few seconds later. They'd been using this method to find the source of the humming, having their friends flip the switch on and off, when the building's odd acoustics made it difficult to pinpoint the source of the noise. The humming stopped, suddenly, and the irritability both adults in the hallway were feeling slowly faded away. They looked around, doing their best to figure out in which direction the sound seemed to fade out slowest.

"...Sorry I snapped, earlier," Carrie started, after a moment, now thinking a bit more clearly.

"It's okay. Sorry I was being so whiny."

"Don't worry about it," The blonde waved it off, then stopped. "Hey! Look at that!" She suddenly shouted, seeming to be back to her bubbly self, pointing to something further down the new hallway they'd found themselves in and rushing forward. The pair looked over the semi-crushed piece of machinery, before Ray pulled his walkie-talkie back out.

"Tobe, can you flip that switch, again?"

"And, turn it back off, right after. That thing's giving me a headache," Carrie added.

" _Ten-Four_."

The pair watched, as the little screens on the odd device lit up, glowing a bright, neon green, the humming noise returning with a vengeance. For a moment, Ray felt like he could jump up and punch straight through the concrete above them, if it meant getting away from the sound. Then, it stopped again, and the machine whined and died.

The two adults looked at each other, allowing themselves a moment to calm back down a moment, before looking over the machine closer. Then, Carrie snatched the walkie-talkie out of Ray's hand, despite the fact that she had her own. Thankfully, though, this was done playfully, rather than in the hateful way she would have done it earlier.

"Hey, you guys keep an eye out for any records of a big machine. Silver, about three-fourths my height, kinda boxy, with a slanted part on the front, covered in knobs and dials. Lots of blinky, red and green lights. Looks like something outta _Star Wars_ ," She listed.

" _Roger that_ ," Dave replied, as the blonde pulled out her phone and took a picture of the odd whatever-it-was.

"If you had your phone on you, why not just text them the picture?" Her short friend wondered aloud.

"I've got no signal down here," She replied.

"Yes, you do," He said, pointing to the little bars at the top of her screen. "Hey, check the GPS. Where exactly are we? 'Cause finding our way back by memory is _not_ gonna be easy."

"Uhh..." She droned, as the application loaded up. Then, she frowned. "Not in Kansas, anymore."

"What?" He asked, scrunching his face up in confusion, before leaning in to take a look. "How'd we get under the _high school_?"

* * *

"Ooookaaaay..." Toby dragged out, clipping his walkie-talkie back onto his belt. He flipped open another file, skimming over the information on the page. "Hey, here's something." He walked over to Dave. "This description sound like that ray-gun that hit those kids, to you?"

The bald man skimmed over the page. "...Yeah. Yeah, it does..."

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Another short one. I know. But, for some reason, my inspiration is coming out in bursts. Maybe I'll be able to pick back up next chapter? Fingers crossed, guys, 'cause I really am getting close to the ending. I'm just having a hard time putting it into words -_-**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **Nibra Ha Rishon**

 **CeleneTheAngel**

 **speedyowl152**

 **Janelle22**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **Also, as I have said before, (though I can't remember where,) I do not own** ** _Star Wars_** **:)**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	25. 24: Get A Clue

**Chapter 24:**  
 **Get A Clue**

* * *

"Where did it even come from?" Danny wondered aloud, seemingly speaking more to himself than to anyone else. "It looks like I built every little piece from scratch and put it together, myself." He watched his little ice-rocket float silently above the heads of Team Phantom, (minus Jazz,) as they headed towards the school's basement. "I know Mom and Dad are, technically, rocket-scientists, but I, most definitely, am _not_. I'm barely surviving _math class_ , how is this even possible?"

"Maybe Delusional-Danny was secretly a crazy genius," Tucker suggested.

"Dude, how did you guys even hide that?" Dash wondered aloud. "I mean, I bought your whole 'a ghost did it' story, at first. But, now that I know, it's _way_ obvious."

"I've been trying to figure that out, myself," Danny admitted, glancing about himself irritably. "And, _what_ is that humming noise?"

The others looked around, as though they were just now noticing, trying to pinpoint the source. "It sounds like a soda machine, but there's not one down here," Mikey noted, as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I've been hearing that for days," Kwan said. "I thought it was, like, some of the ceiling lights buzzing, or something."

"Florescent lights aren't that loud," Tucker pointed out.

"Kinda funny, though," Dash joined.

"What? The _lights_?" Val asked, turning to him.

"No, not that. The sound. It was giving me a major headache, when I could barely hear it. But, it's even louder, now, and it's not bothering me at all. It's just kind of annoying."

"Yeah," Kwan nodded. The group stopped suddenly, ducking behind a pile of boxes, as they spotted a group of A-Listers huddled around a makeshift box-table on the other end of the storage room. The other group was whispering, but they were obviously not happy, and their voices were growing louder and angrier, by the minute.

Then, the humming stopped, and they froze, seeming confused.

Paulina was the first to recover, bringing their attention back to the matter at hand. Danny and Co. watched and listened, as the little ghost got his space ship into position with the little controller. For being about six inches tall, the thing was incredibly strong, carrying a new filled with several large water-balloons full of jello, with ease.

Sam held up a hand, motioning for the others to listen in a little longer, before springing their prank. They still had a few more minutes before second period, anyhow. First period had been a nightmare, and the goth girl wanted revenge for what would forever be known as 'The Gnome Debacle', as much as anyone. But, they needed to be smart about this.

Then, the humming came back, and the previously-confused-and/or-bored-looking A-Listers suddenly grew angry, again.

Then, it shut back off, and they were confused/bored, again.

An hour ago, the group of populars was about as malicious as a rabid ectopus. But, now Paulina was the only one who seemed to even _care_ about their prank war. The others looked like they were just going along with it because Paulina said-so. And, even _she_ didn't seem quite as gung-ho as she had been moments before. She was still actively planning to sabotage them, but she didn't seem half as likely to murder someone and hide the body in Dash's locker.

"BEWA-!"

Danny, in a fit of annoyed rage, slapped his hand over the Blue Nuisance's mouth, yanking the both of them back behind the stack of cardboard, the others following suit. The older ghost squirmed a bit, but settled when Danny's eyes flash menacingly, his own red peepers widening. Sam peered around the corner to find the others were too preoccupied to pay them any attention. There was no doubt they'd heard Boxy scream, but, when Box Ghost had screamed, Danny had lost his concentration, and the Jello-balloons had been released.

The vegan-girl smirked behind her hand, doing her best not to burst out laughing, as she waved the others over. They all grinned at their handiwork, The ghost still in Danny's grip looking on in confusion, seconds before the shock wore off and Paulina's screaming began.

Several of her groupies began frantically trying to calm the now-grape-scented girl, while others attempted to salvage their written plans and pinpoint their attackers. Star, on the other hand, stood just behind her best friend, drippy, green arms crossed, an eyebrow raised, and an unimpressed look on her normally-perky face.

* * *

"So, this thing fires off two shots, which create a telepathic link between the people hit?" Dave clarified.

"That's what it sounds like, to me," Toby nodded, looking over the file in his hands semi-skeptically. (It was becoming difficult to be completely doubtful about _anything_ , after all that they'd seen.)

"And, it does this by filling them with a modified form of the energy ghosts give off?" Ray continued numbly, staring blankly at the papers. He was so done with this town.

"So, the G.I.W.'s records say," The hazel-eyed man agreed. The whole group seemed as though they were having a hard time processing what was going on.

"But, there's a glitch that causes the energy - Which is _radioactive_ , - to harm the people hit, if the effects aren't reversed within a few weeks?" Angie joined worriedly.

"Uh-Huh."

"And, this thing hit a couple of _kids_?" Carrie pressed.

"Yeah," Her brother said dejectedly. Why did his sci-fi dreams coming true have to involve lunatics, torture, and child-endangerment?

"So, how do we reverse the effects?" Ray asked.

Toby flipped through the pages of the folder, before holding the picture of the device out, for the others to see. "We find _this thing_ and - I kid you, not, - flip the 'undo' switch, and hit them with it, again."

"Seriously?" Carrie deadpanned.

"Seriously," He deadpanned back.

"Why would they label it 'undo'? Why not 'reverse'? This isn't a video game," Ray wondered.

"Honestly, at this point, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find out that we've been sucked into some kind of virtual reality thing, and everything we've seen since we got to town was some kind of augmented mess," The brown-haired man admitted.

"So, now we gotta find those kids, right?" His sister asked.

"Looks like it," Dave agreed.

Carrie turned to him. "Did you find anything about that machine under the school?"

"No," Angie answered. "They didn't. But, I did."

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Another short one, but I really am trying, honest. And, at least there's some action in this one :) I'm running on about three hours of sleep, right now, though, so please ignore any and all mistakes. As for The Gnome Debacle, I'll leave that to the imagination ;) But, I'll try to have more scenes with actual pranking going on in the future.**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **sotis03**

 **Spoopy Astro**

 **speedyowl152**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **Also, prayers for my Dad, please. My Mom took him to the hospital a few days ago, because we thought he was having some kind of allergic reaction to his new, heart medication, and he was coughing really bad. They just pumped some fluid off his lungs yesterday, but they still aren't sure what actually caused it. Also, prayers for my Mom, because she's been sitting up with him pretty much 24/7, (only coming home to eat and grab changes of clothes, every morning,) and this whole thing is tearing her nerves up more than I can say.**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	26. 25: Videos For Some Spies

**Chapter 25:**  
 **Videos For Some Spies**

* * *

"Okay," Angie muttered to herself, as she searched through the security tapes for the one she'd seen earlier. "It's one of these. Everything in this pile happened at the same time, but the footage is from different rooms," She explained, before plucking a random one up and popping it into the player.

On the screen, the front room of the building that used to stand above the Crew's heads flickered to life. " **And, stay out**!" The blond ghost's voice rang out, muffled slightly by the walls, just before the black-blob ghost flew in through the wall. The strange being's expression was malicious, as it flew through walls and objects, each crumbling at its touch. The Crew continued switching between tape after tape, watching the destruction happen several dozen times over, from several dozen different angles.

More than one showed the humans' own flight from the building. A few showed the true fear the ghosts had in regards to the building, the G.I.W., and the Crew's knowledge of them. Ceilings fell. Walls collapsed. Screaming was heard, both from the humans and the ghosts. A few times, they rewound too far and caught a glimpse of Ray getting chased by the mechanical ghost, the pair streaming past a camera's view for a split second, before disappearing again. They witnessed the boy called Youngblood following Ray, his invisibility failing on him, as the man flipped through the pages of the large file he'd found, and saw their friend shiver once he was truly alone. They saw the girl called Ellie following Dave, hiding her snickers behind her hand, just as the rest of the Crew did, when the big man tripped. And, in one video, they saw a pipe rupture and a toilet explode. (As far as they could tell, the pipe and toilet were unrelated events, despite the fact that they took place two feet from each other and within the same fifteen seconds.)

But, more often than anything else, they got to watch, with an indescribable, sinking feeling, as a room collapsed around their lonesome view, unable to look away, as the screaming and rumbling continued, until something crushed the camera.

Finally, after around two hours of this, they finally found the video Angie had wanted them to see in the first place. Ray and Toby had, admittedly, forgotten why they were even watching these, by this point. But, they had kept quiet, because they'd wanted to see more, anyhow.

As one of the final videos flickered to life, the machine under the school revealed itself. Though this footage held the echoes of screaming, as well, it actually contained very little of the destruction happening in the rest of the building. Actually, it seemed as though any damage done was already over with. "Good thing, too," Dave noted, after Carrie pointed this fact out. "Otherwise, the floor could've fallen out from under the kids in the school."

The others agreed, before quickly focusing back on the screen, as the screaming that had managed to carry all the way from the base through the concrete walls was joined by another scream. One that was all too familiar...

"OW! WHAT THE -?" It was muffled. But, it was unmistakable. "OW! HEY! WHAT DID YOU PATHETIC HUMANS DO!? YOU CANNOT HOPE TO HOLD **THE BOX GHOST** FOREVER!" Then, they heard what sounded like a child cheering, followed by a, "JUST KIDDING!"

"What the actual heck." Statement, not a question. The others turned to look at Toby, but their friend was just staring at the screen, as though the voices they could hear would suddenly materialize on the screen. Though, to be honest, that was probably possible.

They might even materialize _in the room_.

" **MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**! YES! _YES_! _NOTHING_ CAN STOP THE AWESOME POWER OF THE MIGHTY _**BOX GHOST**_!"

"Isn't that the blue guy from the park?" Ray muttered, trying to remember where else they'd seen and heard the noisy creature in the past week.

"Think so," Carrie nodded.

" ** _THAT'S IT_**!"

"And, I'm pretty sure that's Danny Fenton/Phantom's voice," Angie added.

"Uhhh... See ya!" This last, quieter statement, was followed by several minutes of muttering and several more minutes of silence, before the screen cut to black.

"Must've started too late in the video," Ray said, just before the Crew heard a loud crash ring out from somewhere in the building. After several minutes of peering around cautiously and arguing about who should stay and/or go, the five adults huddled together and headed through the building towards the source of the sound.

Only, they didn't actually know which direction it had come from.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of wandering, they gave up and decided to call it a day. (All the while, doing their best to ignore Ray's mutterings of demonic ghost-beavers.)

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Okay, so, I wasn't kidding, when I said we were getting close to the end. If I could get it written, it'd probably be the length of two-three of my usual-length chapters. It's just coming out a little at a time, right now.**

 **Also, prayers for my family, please, especially my Dad. My parents just spent their thirty-first wedding-anniversary (and forty-second dating-anniversary,) finding out my Dad has a tumor. The doctors removed part of it, and they're giving him medicine that's supposed to treat his condition really well, but he's going to be the main focus of my life, now. Unless there's an emergency, I'm absolutely still going to be writing, because this is my stress-reliever. But, if I'm late or something, that's most likely why. So, please keep us in your hearts and minds. :)**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **speedyowl152**

 **CeleneTheAngel**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **Oh, and the stuff Boxy was screaming is from Chapter 14, in case anyone was wondering :))**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	27. 26: The Fenton Affair

**Chapter 26:**  
 **The Fenton Affair**

* * *

 **AN: One-Paragraph reference to stuff the G.I.W. did. It's Jack Fenton talking, though, so it's in all-caps. Should be easy to avoid, if you don't like that stuff. :)**

* * *

Jack and Maddie sat at a table, outside the little coffee shop, across from the hotel Dash and Kwan had seen the Critical Crew exiting. They'd been there for quite some time, having each downed several cups of extremely-caffeinated beverages, (along with more doughnuts than they probably should've,) in an attempt to wake themselves up. They'd been up half the night working out their story, to make sure they got this right. They had to get these people off of Danny and Ellie's tails. No matter what.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the five out-of-towners pulled up to the front entrance of the large building, looking almost as tired as the two scientists felt. Four of the investigators stood around, stretching, as the shortest of them went to park their van.

Maddie sighed, as she and her husband started gathering their things and paid for their food, so they could head over to the journalists. "We're really doing this, aren't we?" She asked, looking up at the big man towering over her. She knew the answer. They'd been over it a thousand times.

"I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER WAY TO HANDLE IT," Jack reasoned, his voice still louder than necessary, (as was his way,) but low enough that the group ahead of them didn't seem to hear. "YOU KNOW I LOVE WHAT WE DO, BUT IT'S JUST NOT WORTH THE RISK."

"Right," The small woman nodded, building her resolve. Today, they would convince someone that ghosts didn't exist.

* * *

By the time the Crew got back to the hotel, they were completely exhausted and in desperate need of a hot meal and long night of sleep in a non-haunted town. And, their exhaustion is probably why Ray nearly jumped out of his skin, when they started climbing out of the van, only to be greeted by the booming voice of Jack Fenton.

"HEY, THERE!"

The short man let loose an unmanly squeak, and, had the group not still been semi-wary of the Fentons, Toby and Carrie likely would've fallen to the ground, laughing.

"Oh, my," Maddie Fenton mumbled, watching the man she'd beaten up days before cower involuntarily. "I didn't realize I'd hurt him that badly." She didn't seem to regret it. More like she was just stating a fact.

"Ignore him," Carrie noted. "He's always a chicken. It's not just you." It was kind of mean, but it wasn't untrue.

"SO, YOU GUYS GET ANY MORE ' _EVIDENCE_ ' FOR YOUR SHOW?" Jack boomed, putting admittedly-annoying air-quotes around the word. _He_ was the one who _studied_ this for a living. At least two of his _children_ were ghosts. How could he act like it wasn't real!?

The blonde woman was about to say something to that extent, when Toby stopped her. "We're still having a little trouble getting anything concrete," Dave lied, stepping forward. "Nothing to prove your ' _ghosts_ ' aren't just holograms or some kind of well-orchestrated tourist-attraction," He added, with just as much condescension as the bigger man.

"Got some really creepy shots around town, though. Should make for a fun Halloween episode," Ray noted, catching on. He grinned, holding up his camera proudly.

"Look," Maddie said, almost as though she were talking to children. "We don't want you to waste your time and budget on this. So, as long as you agree not to out us, you should probably know that it _is_ a tourist attraction."

"WE SHOULD KNOW," Her husband added. "WE BUILT IT."

The Crew looked at them a moment. "Oh, we know," Ray said, suddenly, surprising everyone.

" _What_?" The entire group asked.

Dave cleared his throat. "I thought we agreed to play along," He said, elbowing his best friend in the ribs lightly.

"Wait. You _knew_?" Maddie asked, dumbfounded. "What do you _mean_ , you _knew_? We only just decided to -" She stopped, when Jack placed a large hand on her shoulder, talking over her.

"WE ONLY JUST DECIDED TO TELL YOU, LAST NIGHT," He covered. "WE DIDN'T WANT YOU WASTING YOUR TIME. FIGURED YOU SHOULD HAVE A CHANCE AT FINDING SOMETHING MORE NEWS-WORTHY."

" _And_ , you didn't want us _exposing you_ ," Toby said accusingly, looking like he was having way too much fun with this.

"I'm afraid the previous mayor had us start all this, several years ago," Maddie 'admitted'. "It was much smaller, at first. But, then _Vlad_ -" She spat the name, like a curse, "- I mean, _Mayor Masters_ , -"

"The one who was just dragged of to the loony-bin," Carrie nodded, indulgently, joining the 'I-Know-Nothing' game they all seemed to be playing.

"Yes. Him," The woman near-growled, gritting her teeth. Ray took a step back unconsciously, standing slightly behind Toby. "He had us... Up the ante, if you will."

"HOLOGRAMS BECAME ANDROIDS, BLASTS OF LIGHT BECAME ACTUAL LASERS, AND EVERYTHING THAT WAS DESTROYED WAS PAID FOR OUT OF HIS POCKET," Jack continued.

"And, in exchange, we got near-unlimited funds for our experiments, and our search for _real_ paranormal activity." They really had thought this through. Had it been only a few days before, the Crew might've believed them. But, there were two major holes in their lie...

"But, why would he do that?" Dave asked, despite himself. "Surely, the damages cost more than the tourism made. Especially, once the perceived danger-level caused people to become wary of the town."

"I'm afraid Mr. Masters wasn't exactly what you'd call 'stable'," Maddie explained, a dark glint in her eye. Well, that did it. The Crew would have to look into _him_ , now. "And, we really didn't ask too many questions. We were afraid we'd lose our funding. It was just too good to pass up."

"And, the G.I.W.?" Angie posed, her own eyes seeming darker.

The Fentons froze, seeming surprised that the Crew even knew about them. They looked at each other. "...Paranormal scientists," Maddie finally said. "Like us. But, I'm afraid they were even crazier than _Vlad_."

Now, _that_ , the Crew believed.

"THEY WERE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT HOW ALL GHOSTS WERE EVIL, NON-SENTIENT BLOBS OF ECTOPLASM, WRAPPED AROUND SOMEBODY'S NEGATIVE EMOTIONS. AND, ABOUT HOW THEY WOULD DISSECT THEM FULLY-CONSCIOUS, AND..." The big man shuddered, and it seemed genuine. "IT WAS JUST _WRONG_."

"I thought I heard someone say that _you_ used to be that way, yourselves," Angie noted, her expression dangerous.

"Ah, yes... _That_." Maddie started, seemingly caught off-guard, once again. "I'm afraid that was a very common theory, back before we met _actual_ ghosts. - Uhh, I mean. Back before we realized how insane the concept was," She corrected quickly. She chuckled nervously, "How could we _possibly_ know what a species is really like, if we've never seen it?"

The Crew didn't point out her use of the word 'species', rather than something like 'entities' or 'beings', or something to denote the ghosts were anything but dead humans.

"Wait," Ray suddenly piped up, pointing to the Fentons' large tank-of-a-vehicle, which they could now see parked around the corner of a building. How they'd missed it, they'd never know. "Is this 'agreement' the reason you're allowed to drive that thing? 'Cause, I don't know a lot about cars, but I'm pretty sure that thing's not street-legal."

The others looked at him a moment, before realizing that, just because the Fentons not believing in ghosts was a lie, didn't necessarily mean the rest of what they were saying was untrue. In fact, the more they thought about it, the more it fit in with what they already knew.

"Actually," The blue-jumpsuited woman said, something seeming to have occurred to her. "I guess it's _not_ technically street-legal. But, we didn't realize that, before," She added quickly. She looked to her husband.

"SO, WE MIGHTA BEEN WORKING FOR THE G.I.W. _BEFORE_ WE WERE WORKING FOR THE MAYOR," He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "THAT'S WHY WE FOLLOWED THEIR THEORIES."

"They told us they were with the government, and any attempts to oppose them were met with threats of audited taxes and jail-time. Not much, but enough to get most people off their backs," His wife continued. "Meanwhile, they said they could grant us immunity from certain laws and an incredible budget, (though, it was much smaller than Vlad's,) in exchange for our research and help in the event of a genuine, ghost invasion. We agreed."

"WHEN V-MA- ER, _VLAD_ PUT BOTH _FENTONWORKS_ AND THE G.I.W. ON THE PAYROLL, ONE OF OUR TERMS WAS THAT WE CONTINUE TO BE ALLOWED TO DRIVE THE _FENTON FAMILY GHOST ASSAULT VEHICLE_ AROUND, IN CASE THERE WAS AN ACTUAL EMERGENCY, AND TO MAKE OUR LITTLE STUNT MORE CONVINCING."

"So, you were involved with the stuff the G.I.W. were doing up in their base?" Carrie asked, barely concealing her anger. If those kids really were _half_ -ghost, and not full ghosts who could look human...

"Oh, no," Maddie denied, holding her hands up defensively. "Not at all."

"WE'VE BEEN UP THERE," Jack confessed. "BUT... I DUNNO... I KINDA GOT THE FEELING THEY DIDN'T LIKE US." Maddie looked at her husband, confused. "I TRIED TO ACT NORMAL, THINKING IT WAS JUST MY NERVES AT MEETING LEGITIMATE, GOVERNMENT GHOST-HUNTERS. BUT, I GUESS IT WAS JUST 'CAUSE THEY WERE _JERKS_."

The seven adults watched one another a moment, both groups eeming to absorb the new information.

"...So, you keep our secret?" Maddie finally asked.

The Crew looked at each other. "I suppose," Dave finally agreed, causing the paranormal-scientists/possibly-ghost-hunters to smile. " _If_ you could explain how all this works, for the camera," He added, motioning to Ray, who was now pointing a large, shiny lens at the pair. "But, we're gonna need another topic for our show. Got anything we could 'uncover', while we investigate the ' _ghosts_ '?"

The older adults thought about it a moment.

Then, a group of teenagers rounded a corner across the street, chatting happily. There were the Fentons' kids, amongst their large group of friends. It actually seemed bigger than the day the Crew had met them, which was saying a lot. There had to be at east ten of them.

The teens were covered in several brightly colored blotches that looked to be made mostly of food coloring, paint, glitter, and glue. Along with that, each child seemed to have several different substances stuck to them, including oatmeal, crackers, pencil shavings, bubble wrap, packing tape, and toothpaste. And, the tall blob of feathers was assumed to be the Fentons' eldest daughter.

The kids continued walking, chatting happily, seeming not to have noticed the adults. One of the shorter ones - A stout boy with brown hair and green eyes, - grinned up at one of the taller ones, - An Asian boy in a Letterman jacket. The taller boy grinned back, and they both suddenly began waving their arms around, screaming, "BEWARE," and cackling wildly when the others jumped into way-too-professional-for-a-kid fighting-stances.

So, it _was_ Danny Fenton they'd heard in the video.

"Kids," Maddie called, waving to them. They turned and spotted the Crew, freezing in place and somehow paling beneath the sticky mess that covered them. Actually, with their eyes the only thing visible on some of them, they actually looked comical. As the group approached, the adults caught the overwhelming cacophony of scents coming off of them. A terrible combination of fruit, mint, plastic, glue, and several other things they didn't care to name. "What on _earth_ , happened to you?" The woman asked, plucking a feather from her daughter's hair and picking at a glob of what looked like papier-mâché on her son's shoulder.

"Uh..." The dark-haired boy droned, still seeming confused that his parents were conversing casually with the group of investigators who were supposedly trying to expose his species to people who would hurt them. Suddenly, the Crew felt a little guilty, wishing they could tell the boy he didn't have to worry. "Interesting day at school," He finally said, in lieu of explanation.

"It was so awesome!" One of the kids shouted happily. Though, in the mess of goop, it was hard to distinguish which one.

The adults blinked at them, even the Fentons seeming confused. "...Is that... A marble?" Carrie asked, pointing to the little, round object stuck to the forehead of the tallest teen.

"Yeah," The boy (now that they could hear his voice and tell that he wasn't a girl or just some kind of giant, because in this town that was possible,) said, reaching up to pull the offending object off. Then, he glared at his friends. "You said I got 'em all."

"You _did_ get 'em all," The second-smallest grinned, bangs dripping with something green and glowing. "All the ones we _wanted_ you to get," He finished, before the taller one grabbed him in a playful headlock and gave him what could possibly have been the messiest noogie in history. Then, they tripped, falling into two of the other kids, - the Crew thought they were the two dark-haired girls that had been with the group the first day, - and pulled them into the scuffle.

"Paulina's being a witch, and everybody's sick of it," The feathered creature finally said. Which wasn't much more helpful than her brother's statement.

Before anyone could reply to that statement, though, the girl's brother spoke up. "I think Jazz needs a new car," He stated randomly, grinning like a loon. "I suggest a mini- _coop_."

"I AM NOT A CHICKEN!"

"Nope," The boy covered in glitter agreed. "You're a Turkey-Leg!" Then, one of the girls rolled into Jazz's legs and the two fell over, joining the sticky scuffle on the sidewalk.

"We remembered to turn that machine back off, right?" Ray whispered, leaning in towards his blonde friend and thinking back to the hall under the school. Carrie shrugged in reply, honestly not remembering, at this point.

"So, what's with...?" Danny asked, trailing off, as he motioned to the Crew-Members standing next to his parents.

"Your parents just filled us in on how all the paranormal activity in the town is a tourist-trap hoax, and we've agreed to keep quiet about it, if they'll help us find something else to report on," Toby informed them. The adults couldn't deny their relief, when the child visibly relaxed. The whole thing must've been terrifying, for him.

"Hey," The boy who seemed to be blonde beneath the paint and mini-Frisbees covering him piped up. "Maybe you could do an episode on high-school prank-wars," He laughed. Then, the other jock jumped up, hding behind him, as he was chased by one of the girls.

"Heh," Toby chuckled lightly. "Maybe so." Then, his eyes lit up. "Actually..." But, before he could voice his thoughts, a shout rang out from the post office across the road.

"I AM THE BOX GHOST!"

"Okay, I take it back," Ray admitted, as the other two groups went after the odd being. " _That's_ the _real_ Blue Demon."

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **A RELATIVELY-NORMAL-SIZED CHAPTER! :)))))))))))))))))) Also, my Dad went back to the hospital Monday, but he got home this afternoon. So, this is a good day, all around :))**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **GhostWriterGirl-1**

 **Spoopy Astro**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**

* * *

 **Edit: Sorry, peoples, I accidentally updated the new chapter to 'The Core Cold', instead of here. Even pasted 'The Critical Crew's Table Of Contents over top of the other, and had to rebuild it from the files I, thankfully, still had on my computer, since it's already gone from the site's doc manager. So, please, ignore the update in the old fic :)**


	28. 27: The Day Of The Jack

**Chapter 27:**  
 **The Day Of The Jack**

* * *

The Crew knew the technological information about 'how ghosts work' that Jack and Maddie had given them was all fake, but had made an agreement with the whole Fenton family (plus the twenty-or-so kids and ghosts that seemed to be hanging around their house, at any given time,) that they wouldn't air the footage... As long as they explained to them how all of it worked (for curiosity's sake,) _and_ dialed their 'special effects' back down, so no one would get hurt. The group of kids and 'ghost actors' had readily agreed.

"Okay," Ray said, saving the footage from the interview, for posterity, and turning to his friends. He made a mental note to have one of the more tech-savvy people from the other group teach him how to encrypt it, so it 'couldn't fall into the wrong hands', later. "We ready for this?"

"Yep," Dave grinned, as his best friend grabbed his camera. Meanwhile, Carrie, Angie, and Toby wrestled the odd, psychic gun they'd finally found in the base (and promptly set to 'undo',) the night before into the blonde's backpack. Then, the Crew headed out.

They'd worked with the Fentons and "The Nerd Herd", (as the kids called themselves,) all weekend, - While continuing to study what they'd found in the base by night, - to make sure everything was set for them to keep the town's secrets (all of them) _and_ make their boss happy. Not an easy task, but they were fairly confident.

And, if they found a moment to help the kids with their prank-planning and conveniently schedule a few seconds in the oncoming fray to re-blast Sam and Dash with the G.I.W.'s ray-thing, before it could hurt them... Well, that flash of light must have come from the "A-Listers'" retaliations.

The Crew also pointedly ignored the fact that Toby was packing a few water balloons in his sister's bag and Carrie was packing several things she wouldn't let them see into her own. They were all kinda stoked about this. Whether they would admit it, or not.

The large group of locals that had been gathered in _FentonWorks_ the night before had still been a little concerned about how the out-of-towners were going to effectively connect the ghosts and the prank-war, while making the former look fake and the latter the star of the show. To be honest, the Crew hadn't been sure, either. But, after a few pointedly-vague comment from Toby about the idea he'd had the day before, (which had never been voice fully, because of Box Ghost's attack,) they finally had a pretty good idea.

And, so, they assured the mass of humans and ghosts that they had it covered. They doubted they bought it, but they would just have to wait for the episode to air, like everyone else.

* * *

The bell for second period rang, and everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells. They were completely aware that the members of the A-Listers and the now-huge Nerd Herd had been sending various evil looks towards each other all morning, and no one wanted to be the trigger that started whatever was about to go down.

...Okay. A few wanted to, but, luckily, they had friends smart enough to hold them back.

Even some of the teachers seemed to have noticed. Though, Lancer was either oblivious or in denial, and Tetslaff kept rubbing her hands together and grinning. _Not_ a good sign.

All in all, the school had been _way_ too quiet, the entire day. Especially after the extra-loud two weeks they'd just had. There hadn't even been any ghost-sightings. (Aside from Box Ghost, but he didn't really count.) And, no one in Amity Park trusted silence all that much.

The calm before the storm was just as real as ghosts. And, possibly, just as paranormal.

* * *

After forty-five minutes of surreptitious phone-conversation in the school's library, Jazz had finally convinced her parents that they _did not_ need to be at the school for the prank war, and that Danny and his friends could _totally_ handle it. So, longing to be helpful, Jack and Maddie set to work on another problem they'd been having: How to put a stop to Boxy's reign of annoyance.

After another two hours of periodically studying the inner-workings of the Thermos and checking on Ellie and Youngblood, who were playing with Marty in the living room, Maddie walked back into the lab to see her husband smack himself in the face. Nothing about ghosts had ever stumped them quite as much as this had.

"What's wrong?" She asked, a hint of concern in her voice. Her husband was an absolute darling, - At least, in her eyes, - and it took a lot to get to him.

He told her.

She facepalmed, as well. How could they have been so blind?

The pair quickly set to work, rebuilding the Thermos from the ground up. And, this time, it would be Boxy-proofed.

...They hoped...

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Okay, I know I ended this chapter in a kind of a weird place, on all sides, but I wanted to give myself a little extra time to make sure I got the prank-war scene right, because I've been anticipating it for a** ** _long_** **,** ** _long_** **time, and I want it to be perfect :)) Hopefully, I did a good job of setting the stage, so it makes it even better. (Though, I'm still terrible at action scenes, so fingers crossed.) And, I'm still** ** _totally_** **taking suggestions for pranks, if anyone's got any :))**

 **I also wanted to give myself a little more time to make sure I've got all my plot-lines gathered, because I started a lot that I forgot existed, and we're getting really close to the ending, and I wanna make sure I tie everything off right :)) So, if there's anything I left hanging that you're curous about that I never touched on again, feel free to let me know, so I can cover it, 'cause I'm afraid I won't catch them all, myself :))**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **Neeko96**

 **silblack**

 **Shadin**

 **speedyowl152**

 **CeleneTheAngel**

 **Spoopy Astro**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **Also, extra-special thanks to everyone who's been keeping my family in their thoughts, hopes, and prayers. My Dad is back in the hospital.** ** _But_** **, we found out that he'd gotten confused about his medicine, and was taking the wrong pill twice a day, so he's doing a lot better, there.** ** _And_** **, something either glitched with his defibrillator or something else happened, (we're not sure what,) and it went off, yesterday. Normally, this would be worrisome at best, and it had us concerned all morning.** ** _But_** **, because of it, his heart is putting itself back into sinus rhythm, which is actually really,** ** _really_** **good! :))) I love blessings in disguise :)**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	29. 28: The Geek Swat

**Chapter 28:**  
 **The Geek Swat**

* * *

It started small. Jason Warley opened his locker and a water balloon fell out. As the kids around him laughed, the fullback's expression darkened, and he and his friends turned to the Herd, who was standing nearby. They obviously blamed the other group, despite the fact it had to be Jason's own fault. Yeah, Danny had similar plans, but he hadn't started them, yet. But, hey, if the jocks wanted to play that way, Team Phantom had two words for them:

 _Bring it_.

* * *

"And, over here, is our state-of-the-art science lab, ensuring that our pupils receive the best of learning experiences, in a subject that _so many_ of today's teens struggle with," Lancer droned, with false emotion, as he led the Crew on a tour of the school. (The man had taken one look at the camera on Ray's shoulder and assumed this was some kind of special on Casper High, itself. They didn't have the heart to tell him.) Upon noticing the newcomers, the kids inside the room in question looked up from their project, smiling and waving shyly. The adults waved back, before continuing on their way.

As they continued down the hall, though, Toby pulled out a slip of paper, studying the writing on it and comparing it to the area around him. After a moment, he paused, grabbing his sister's bag, to stop her. She let out a small yelp, but, thankfully, no one seemed to notice. He put a finger to his lips, before she could protest, then grabbed one of his water balloons from her pack and shoved it into the nearest locker.

Then, he hurried to catch up to the others, leaving poor Angie completely at a loss as to how he even got the combination. She stared at him a moment, before sighing and following, shaking her head as she went. She would find out how he did it, later. It's not like he was ever going to shut up about this whole trip, once they got home. He was practically dancing in the hallway, now.

* * *

Tucker skidded around a corner, a goofy grin on his face. He dashed across a hall and narrowly avoided being spotted by Jonesie. Dash followed, a few seconds behind him, pausing on the opposite side of the intersection, when the teacher turned back in their direction. The blond grew obviously more nervous, as time dragged on and the angry noises behind him grew louder. But, then a random sprinkler went off on the other end of the hall, and Mr. Jones went to see what had caused it, muttering Shakespearean curses under his breath and angrily shaking his cane, the whole way.

Dash made a break for it, stopping next to his used-to-be-enemy, as the techno-geek continued to tap at his PDA's screen. Then, Clay and Chris rounded the corner, barreling towards them, covered in ecto-goop and fury.

Dash was still somewhat nervous, glancing between the jocks and Tucker, who was still watching his screen. The nerd didn't seem to care about the oncoming fight, in the least. But, Dash supposed it could be because he fought _ghosts_ , on a daily basis.

Then, just as Chris and Clay hit the middle of the intersection, the first sprinkler turned off, and the one over their heads turned on. Tucker tossed an odd device towards them, and Chris caught it, out of reflex. Jonesie looked at the confused pair, a drama the likes of which the world had never seen written all over his face.

"And, just _what_ do you boys think you're doing?" He asked, marching over, as the ecto-goo washed away and left the soggy teens holding what he was absolutely certain would prove to be incriminating evidence. "Those sprinklers are for _emergencies_. _Not_ for you children to have a _pool party_ in the hallways."

"But-" Clay began, but was cut off.

"And, just _what_ , -" He began, snatching the little box from the brunet's hands, "- is _this_? _Hmm_?"

"I dunno," Chris defended. "It's Foley's." He pointed to where the nerd and Dash had been standing, finding the spot empty.

"Then, _why_ , may I ask, do you have it? If it does not _belong to you_ , and if Mr. Foley is - As I know to be fact, - _not_ your friend, _why_ do you have something of his in your possession? Thievery is frowned upon in this establishment, gentlemen."

"I didn't _steal_ it!" The boy insisted, as the sprinkler overhead suddenly stopped. The three looked at it in confusion for a moment, before Chris continued. "He _threw it_ at me, right before you got here!"

"Mr. Tory, I have been here for several minutes. _You_ are the ones who have just arrived," He said, pointing the tip of his walking stick at the space between the teen's eyes. "I suggest, if you boys plan on lying, you create some sort of script, and think your plot through more thoroughly, thereby better eliminating the chances of incriminating yourselves, in such a manner." He clacked his cane on the ground, muttering angrily. "Tampering with the school's sprinkler-system. _What_ will they think of, next?"

"But, we didn't do it! This is _Foley's_ thingamajig!" Clay argued. Then, one of the sprinkler on the other end of the hall came on.

Jonesie glared at him accusingly, seeming ready to argue, before his phone dinged. He flipped it open, then sent the teens a withering glare. "Mr. Martin, Mr, Foley isn't even anywhere _near us_." He held out the little screen, revealing a picture of the techno-geek in question, working with some of the other geeks on some sort of something, in the science lab. "As far as I can see, you either tampered with the school's plumbing, or you stole from another student," The man stated. "Possibly both. I'm, honestly, not even sure which one would receive stronger punishment, as no one has ever _done_ the former, before," He added, almost as an afterthought.

"But, _that's_ the thingy!" Clay cried, pointing to a small object on the table, in the image. The adult squinted at the little screen for a moment.

"Well. It would seem that it is." The boys grinned. Foley was going down. "So, you _are_ thieves."

" _What_!?" The boys near-screeched. The current sprinkler turned off, and two more came on.

" _Inside_ voices, please, gentlemen. And, I insist you desist from this prank, immediately."

"But, we didn't steal it!" Chris said, waving his arms around. "And, we're not the ones doing this!" The former two sprinklers stopped.

"Yeah," Clay agreed, as his friend looked between the cieling and the object in his hand, in confusion. "And, why isn't Foley in trouble. _He's_ the one who _made_ the thing," He reminded, gesturing to the odd, little device in his friend's hand. "Why else would he have it, if he wasn't plannin' on setting off the sprinklers, himself?"

Before the teacher could respond, his phone dinged again. He looked over it again. "To answer your second question, - And, subsequently, your first, - he could be using it to assist the school, in the event of an emergency, just as the system was designed to be used." He cleared his throat, before reading the text aloud. "From, Miss Carson Chaney. _Hey, Mr. J. Thought you might like to see this. S club_ \- That's text for 'science club', - _made a thing that can control individual sprinklers, to help the Fentons to better control their newest ghost-proofing thing. Maybe we can use it for dramatic rain in our school plays._ " He closed his phone, putting his hands on his hips. "Therefore, gentlemen, I think I rest my case."

The sprinkler _directly above Jonesie_ suddenly came on.

The two jocks continued to protest, as the were ushered towards the principal's office, by the grumpy teacher, who was apparently even grumpier when wet. Meanwhile, Dash and Tucker stood inside a nearby broom closet, the latter snickering into his palm, as the former became increasingly confused.

"Wait," The blond finally said. "What just happened?"

Tucker looked up at him. (Though, just barely, since the quarterback only had a few inches on him, at this point.) "Meh, Mikey convinced the science club to help us with a prank, in exchange for getting them an interview with Phantom," He shrugged, nonchalantly, but was obviously extremely pleased with the outcome. "They said the interview thing was just a bonus, 'cause they'd wanted to take down the A-Listers for a long time."

"But, how did they make that thing to control the sprinklers?" The blond wondered. "And, why did you give it to them?"

The shorter male chuckled. "Dude, that's not part of it. It's just a scrap piece we made sure to put on the table, when we took that picture this morning."

Dash blinked. "Then, how'd you off set off the waterworks? With your PDA?"

"Not exactly."

* * *

Several minutes before, amidst the group of science geeks huddled in a maintenance room on the other side of the school, a phone buzzed. "There's the message from Tucker," A boy grinned maliciously, barely able to contain himself. "Let's shut 'em down."

Another boy slapped at one of the buttons eagerly, and the group watched on the security cameras as Jonesie tore into no one in particular over the first sprinkler, then tore into Chris and Clay over the second.

The kids probably had a little too much fun flicking the different sprinklers on and off, making the bullies look even worse. But, who cares? This was too good.

* * *

"But, what if Jonesie decides he likes the idea of making it rain on stage?" Dash wondered. "Don't you need some kinda thing that'll control the sprinklers, to prove they did it?"

"Nah," The bespectacled teen replied. "The school's already got that. Good thing none of the teachers know how it works," He grinned.

"But, what if they ask someone who _does_ ," The blond insisted.

"You mean, the _janitor_? The guy who has to clean up the water from swirlies and pull kids out of trashcans and lockers, every day?" Tucker asked, and it began to click. " _He's_ the one who gave us the keys to the maintenance room." He shrugged. "I get the feeling he'll back us up."

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **I think I'm going to do the prank war in several chapters, so I can have more time to make sure all of the scenes get some attention and turn out right. I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out, despite the fact I had no idea where I was going with this chapter, when I sat down to write it. But, tell me what you think :)))**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **Aphaxy**

 **GhostWriterGirl-1**

 **ModernDayAlice**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **Also, My Dad went back to the hospital yesterday, and they think one of the major problems he's been having is actually one of the medications he's been taking since January. Now, he's off of it, and already acting much more like himself :)) Thank you guys so, so, so much for keeping us in your hearts, minds, and prayers :)))))))) I know that's helping him more than any of us realize!**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


	30. 29: On Her Majesty's Not-So-Secret Servi

**Chapter 29:**  
 **On Her Majesty's Not-So-Secret Service**

* * *

"Okay, Lex," Lex Laurie muttered to himself. "Just a little more kissing up, and that spot in the A-Listers is _yours_." He turned around, bringing the salad he'd made sure was _absolutely_ _ **perfect**_ to Paulina. He did _not_ want to end up like the last guy. "M'Lady," He said, making a show of setting the plate down before the shallow girl grandly.

"Oooh," Paulina cooed. "See?" She asked, turning to Star, who seemed to be quickly loosing patience with the whole thing. " _This_ is how you treat a princess." Lex sighed inwardly, relieved that nothing had gone wrong. "There's just _one thing_ that could make this better." Oh, no.

Lex looked up to find her watching him intently. "...Uh... What's that?" He asked.

The girl feigned innocence, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. "Oh, nothing too big. I was just thinking about how, in olden times, _real_ princesses usually got a show with their meals."

 _||Please_ _, tell me she's not gonna make me dress up like a jester and juggle waffles, like she did the last guy,||_ Lex thought, desperately.

He swallowed thickly, as she fluttered her eyelashes up at him, her elbows resting on the table and her chin resting on her clasped hands. "Lex," She said, her voice a terrifying mixture of false-cuteness and tiny mafia-boss. "You understand that the A-Listers has recently undergone some... _Downsizing_ , right?" She asked, obviously not happy, _at all_ , with Dash and Kwan's betrayal.

Lex nodded dumbly, swallowing again. "Y-Yeah. I heard about that. It's a real shame."

The mean girl nodded back, somewhat condescendingly. "It is. A _crying_ shame. But, you know, our little group doesn't _have_ to stay so small. We're always open to new members, so long as they have the same vision as the rest of us." Lex thought he heard Star snort, at that. But, when he glanced over at her, she just seemed bored and irritated. Probably not a good sign, either way.

After a few moments, Lex took the silence as his queue to speak. "Well... I-I would be happy to prove my loyalty, if that's what you're asking... What exactly are you asking?"

* * *

Danny watched, invisibly and bemusedly, as Lex attempted to load stuffed animals of various shapes and sizes into the catapult he'd stolen from the Drama Club. Didn't he realize that it would take more than that to handle a Prank-Master, like Danny Fenton/Phantom?

Oh, well. Lex would learn, soon enough. _Never_ take on a ghost, in a battle of mischief.

* * *

"So, what are we doing, again?" Kwan asked, as he helped Lester load the odd orb with Honey and chocolate.

"I told you, Lex is going to try and get us, so we're getting him, first," The little halfa replied.

"Yeah, but... Why does it involve _Gummy Bears_?" The jock continued, as they finished the last 'muck-bomb' and Danny stuck his head intangibly through a wall. The other two quickly moved to block him from sight, despite the fact they were the only people around.

"Didn't Tucker say that you got stuck, the last time you tried this?" Les wondered absently.

Suddenly, the blue-eyed ghost's head popped back into view, looking to Kwan and Lester. "That was when I had the hiccups. Now, shhh," He said, holding a finger to his lips. He ushered them further back.

Kwan looked confused. "How do _hiccups_ -"

"Shhh!"

Just then, Lex appeared around the corner, pulling the catapult along behind him. The boys hid behind a row of lockers, while he pulled the odd prop into the lunchroom. Then, they came back out to watch the show. And, add to it.

* * *

Lex pulled out a rolled up piece of paper, that turned out to be a rolled up string of papers taped together. This was made evident, when he released the end, and it rolled halfway across the room, stopping at the very-confused band-geeks' table. Thankfully, it wasn't _entirely_ covered, 'cause that would take way longer to read than he had time for. It was mostly just for show, and so he wouldn't forget the lines he'd written for himself, to impress Paulina with.

The wannabe A-Lister cleared his throat, before addressing the entire school's population, minus Fenton, Schwartz, and Kwan.

Wait. Where was Fenton?

He scanned the room, looking for the missing Herd-Members, as he spoke. The other kids turned to look at him. True, it wasn't the _strangest_ thing he'd had ever done, but it was definitely up there on the list. He didn't blame them for staring. He licked his lips nervously, focusing back on the words in his hands. He would find the others, later.

"Hear ye, hear ye! As potential candidate for the position of herald under her Majesty, Paulina Sanchez, Queen of the A-Listers, -" Oh, there was Fenton. And, Kwan was with him. The two came in, sitting next to their friends. Lex really didn't like that look in Fenton's eyes. And, he still had no clue where Schwartz was. But, there was nothing he could do about it, now. Not without upsetting Paulina and blowing his chances. He'd just have to keep going and deal with anything that happened, as it came. "- I, hereby, announce -" He swallowed, again. He _really_ didn't like the look on Fenton's face. Or, the fact that he was now whispering to the kids around him. "- my personal vendetta against the band of rogues known as the Nerd Herd, for their crimes against the hypothetical Crown. I-"

And, then, he was sticky.

"Attack!" Danny near-screeched, as he, the Nerd Herd, the Science Club, and several others sitting nearby began grabbing some kind of homemade goop-balls from the bags Lex now noticed were stuffed under the Herd's table, and throwing them at everyone who was known to be siding with the A-Listers.

As the balls of what seemed to be honey, melted chocolate, _Gummy Bears_ and jelly beans stuffed into balls of paper-mâché flew around the room, exploding on everyone and anyone who didn't either pick a side, or get out of the way, Gary Penn tripped, bumping into the mechanism on the side of the catapult, sending a rainbow of plushies scattering through the chaotic cafeteria. One particularly-unfortunate group, who had made it a point to watch and not get involved in the pranks, got hit with a sticky-bomb, followed by a cluster of stuffed animals.

* * *

"What was that?" Mr. Lancer wondered aloud, as Lester stood before him, showing him his plans for a future science project he, Clark, and Mike were planning. He made sure to go into extreme detail, even explaining some of the more advanced parts of the project that he'd needed Mr. and Mrs. Fenton's help on. He had no doubt the teacher would refuse to let him build such a device on school property, but that didn't really matter. Actually, it was kind of the point.

"I have no idea," He lied. Well, half-lied. He knew Danny was doing _something_. But, since the little half-ghost had refused to tell him his plans, he really _didn't_ know what was happening. Though, he had an idea... But, just as when Danny was sick, he knew this was for a good cause.

As he continued to blather on to his teacher about things he knew the middle-aged lit-nerd knew nothing about, he surreptitiously motioned for the Crew, who had still been following Lancer around, to head out. Hopefully, they would get to the cafeteria just in time for the show to begin.

* * *

Pretty much everyone in the room was either laughing or screaming. But, when Lex got a glimpse of Paulina's expression, he thought he might _cry_. The Latina was _furious_. There went his chance at a spot in the A-Listers.

And, it was amidst all this chaos and ruin that it registered in the pick-pocket's mind. The other times were just small-time battles. But, _this time_...

This time, the war for control of Casper High had officially begun.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everybody! :)**

 **Sorry, for posting so late. I actually stayed up all night, (it was daylight outside when I finally went to sleep,) and didn't get up until, like, four in the afternoon... It wasn't just for the sake of staying up all night, though. My Dad fell last night, and I just wound up staying up longer than the moon. So, this makes three Thursdays in a row that my Dad's gone to the hospital... So, that's something. Thankfully, he really does seem to be getting better. If only he could** ** _stay_** **that way.**

 **Oh, and, if you hear something on the news about a woman wringing a smart-butt nurse's neck, that's my Mom sticking up for my Dad, lol. But, seriously, she said she was reporting that lady the second she figured out where she needed to go to do it.**

 **Special thanks to these awesome people, for favoriting/following/reviewing! :)**

 **GhostWriterGirl-1**

 **Valerie Hastreiter**

 **a6spike**

 **You guys rock! :)))**

 **And, extra,** ** _extra_** **special thanks to my friend, GhostWriterGirl-1, for the _genius_ ideas for the pranks in this chapter! They were absolutely awesome, and way too much fun to write! Thank you, so much!**

 **And, before I forget, I do not own** ** _Gummy Bears_** **.**

 **As always,  
God bless, and I hope you enjoyed! :)  
\- Ellie**


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